Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the study by Arpita Ghosh, Heather Flowe and James Rockey Estimating excess mortality due to female genital mutilation, published August 2023, and (2) the number of avoidable deaths resulting from female genital mutilation (FGM); and of the organisations which receive FGM aid grants from the UK, how many provide medical assistance to women and girls suffering life-threatening complications as a result of FGM, including severe bleeding, obstructed labour, and infection.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is very interested in the study conducted by the University of Birmingham, estimating the excess mortality due to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Officials are meeting with authors this month to discuss the findings.

The UK funds the Support to the Africa-Led Movement to End FGM: Phase 2 programme (ALM). The programme funds a Model Health Facility (MHF) in Narok, Kenya, which provides direct medical assistance to women and girls suffering because of FGM. The ALM programme has developed a FGM-specific curriculum for healthcare professionals undergoing pre-service training, equipping them to contribute towards the prevention of FGM and improving healthcare services for women with FGM-related complications. The MHF trained 239 faculties and 2,534 students across Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Senegal by October 2024.

The UK also funds the UNICEF/UNFPA Joint Programme for the Elimination of FGM through which 86, 823 women and girls received healthcare services related to FGM last year.

In 2024, the Sudan Free from FGM: Phase 2 programme provided 97,601 women and girls with health-related services to mitigate, prevent or respond to a combination of FGM, Gender-Based Violence and Child Marriage. In addition, 206,407 women and girls received mental health and psychosocial support.