Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 6 January (HL3454), whether the new female genital mutilation unit is conducting nationwide outreach across the whole of the United Kingdom or just England and Wales.

The Government is clear that female genital mutilation (FGM) is a crime and it is child abuse. We will not tolerate a practice that can cause extreme and lifelong physical
and psychological suffering to women and girls.

The Home Office has provided £100,000 through the FGM Community Engagement Initiative. The fund was open to organisations across all parts of the UK to bid for up to £10,000 to carry out community work to raise awareness of FGM amongst women already affected by FGM, young at-risk girls, as well as men in the community.

The Government’s specialist cross-Government FGM Unit launched on 5 December. The Unit will provide outreach support to local areas in England and Wales, act as a hub for effective practice, work with the police and develop cross-government policies on FGM.

The Unit does receive enquires from individuals and organisations in Scotland which are dealt with through appropriate consultation with partners in Scotland.