Baroness Jeerasked Her Majesty's Government:
What action they are taking to enforce the Prohibition of Female Circumcision Act 1985; and with what results. [HL163]
§ Lord Bassam of BrightonThe relevant authorities take this offence seriously, but female genital mutilation (FGM) is deeply steeped in the cultures and traditions of those communities who practise it and it is rarely reported. There have been no prosecutions date. New government guidanceWorking together to safeguard children to be issued in the new year recommends that in local areas where there are communities who traditionally practice FGM, the policy of area child protection committees (on which the police are represented) should focus on a preventive strategy involving community education.