Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the use of alternative terminology for female genital mutilation in professional and academic contexts on the application of existing criminal law.

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is clearly and accurately defined in the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003. It is a crime, it is child abuse, and it can destroy lives. On Thursday 18 December, we published the VAWG Strategy setting out the strategic direction and concrete actions to deliver on the Government’s VAWG ambition, including on FGM.

It is important that we recognise FGM for what it is. It is a procedure that causes irreversible harm where the female genital organs are injured or changed and there is no medical reason for this. It is a very traumatic and violent act and can cause lifelong physical and psychological suffering. The Government’s approach to tackling FGM is focused on preventing these crimes from happening, supporting and protecting survivors and those at risk, and bringing perpetrators to justice. We are clear that we must engage with the specialist sector, and most importantly, engage with those directly affected to ensure we keep victims and survivors at the forefront of our work. This is why we are launching a community engagement campaign to raise awareness of the different types of ‘honour’-based abuse including FGM, and to encourage people to come forward for support.

The FGM Act 2003 introduced several measures which demonstrate that FGM is treated as a serious criminal offence and ensure its effectiveness. For example, acknowledging the international and multiple perpetration elements of FGM, the Act created offences for assisting others to perform FGM, including extraterritorial cases.

Regarding enforcement, the Act increased the maximum penalty for committing FGM from 5 years to 14 years imprisonment, reflecting the severity of this crime.