The Coronavirus period has led to a number of women feeling at threat and unsafe in their home
environments, with a surge in calls to domestic abuse helplines. The Home Office launched the
#YouAreNotAlone campaign and the UK government updated guidance on their website regarding
domestic abuse: get help during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak; linking the NSPCC female
genital mutilation helpline for those who are worried about a child at risk or someone who has
already undergone FGM.
Yet, there is huge worry for organisations which support FGM victims in the UK. Government funding
endorsed by former PM Theresa May to help support victims of FGM in the UK has been
considerably reduced by 84% since 2015. Funding has been cut from £2,718,000 in April 2016 to
£432,000 in April 2020.
FGM is a UK problem with hundreds of victims and only a single successful prosecution to date. The
information reported by NHS trusts and GP practices evidenced that between April 2015 and March
2020 – FGM was identified in a total of 52,050 attendances.
The latest NHS Annual Report on Female Genital Mutilation for England (FGM - April 2019 to March
2020 (Experimental Statistics Report) showed that; 6,590 individual women and girls had an
attendance where FGM was identified in this period.
If there is no considerable decline in figures and the government is still urging those to contact
organisations working to prevent FGM in the UK, why has the funding indented to pay for medical
practitioners, social workers, protection orders and assessments been so significantly reduced?
Writer: Abby Hunt
Artwork: Zara Masood
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