Female Genital Mutilation

Lord Kennedy of Southwark Excerpts

Wednesday 16th July 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Boycott (CB)]

My Lords—

[Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms and Chief Whip (Lord Kennedy of Southwark) (Lab Co-op)]

My Lords, it is the turn of the Labour Benches.

[Baroness Thornton (Lab)]

My Lords, first I will pay tribute to our noble friend Baroness Rendell, who championed this and ensured it was put on the statute book; she is much missed by all of us. Does my noble and learned friend agree that one of the most important things the Government must succeed in preventing is young girls being taken out of the country for this dreadful procedure? I would like to hear how that is progressing. Secondly, we have to pay attention to the hundreds, if not thousands, of women here in the UK who have already suffered this terrible procedure and who need the resourcing and help of our NHS in the special units that have been set up to do that. We have to ensure they are properly resourced.

--- Later in debate ---

[Baroness Berger (Lab)]

My Lords—

[Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Lab Co-op)]

We will hear from the noble Baroness opposite.

[Baroness Sugg (Con)]

My Lords, your Lordships supported an amendment to the Health and Care Act 2022 to make virginity testing and hymenoplasty illegal, as part of broader efforts to address violence against women. Like female genital mutilation, these practices are typically hidden within families and communities, making evidence hard to gather. There have been police investigations here, some of which are ongoing, but there have been no convictions here yet. What specific steps are the Government taking to encourage reporting, and how are they working to build stronger evidence?