London Mayor Sadiq Khan should lead a high-profile campaign to end “the hidden crime” of female genital mutilation (FGM) in the capital, the city’s assembly said yesterday.
About 170,000 women and girls in the UK have undergone female genital mutilation and 65,000 pre-teen girls are thought to be at risk, the London Assembly said in a report.
Half of female genital mutilation cases recorded in the country are in London, where affected communities include Somalis, Sierra Leoneans, Eritreans and Sudanese.
The ritual, done for cultural, traditional or religious reasons, involves the partial or total removal of the external genitalia.
In some cases the vaginal opening is also sewn up.
“FGM remains a hidden crime — still taking place behind closed doors, with many girls still at risk,” assembly chairwoman Jennette Arnold said in a statement.
The report said many professionals, such as police, teachers health and social workers, were not confident about how to respond to cases of female genital mutilation, which can cause serious physical and emotional problems.
It called for the mayor to help improve coordination between frontline services and highlighted the need for better training.
“We need to be bold, strong and ambitious,” Arnold said. “I am more determined than ever that London becomes a ‘zero cutting city.’”
National efforts to eradicate female genital mutilation have gained momentum in recent years making the headlines.
Health workers and teachers are now required to report cases of female genital mutilation in women under 18 years old.
The UK has also strengthened the law on female genital mutilation, which was outlawed in 1985, although there has never been a successful prosecution.
However, the assembly report said many believed the emphasis should be on preventing female genital mutilation and supporting those at risk rather than pursuing prosecutions.
It also called for increased efforts to engage boys and men in combating the ancient ritual which some families believe prevents promiscuity.
Female genital mutilation activist Hibo Wardere said having Khan spearhead a London-wide campaign would make “a massive difference.”
“Everybody should make it their business to end FGM — it doesn’t matter what community you’re from,” added Wardere, who wrote about undergoing female genital mutilation as a child in Somalia in her memoir Cut.
The mayor did not comment on whether he would lead a campaign, but Deputy Mayor for Policing Sophie Linden said Khan was committed to tackling the “appalling practice.”
“We need to ... ensure that people who carry out such barbaric practices are brought to justice,” she said.
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