OPERATION LIMELIGHT A multi-agency safeguarding operation at the UK border responding to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) In Partnership with Introductions: • Introduce yourself and provide reassurance that those spoken to are not in any trouble and we will not take up too much of your time • Explain we are here today working with a number of agencies conducting a safeguarding operation that seeks to raise awareness of harmful practices such as FGM and forced marriage • Highlight that our aim is to identify those at risk and to help prevent these practices happening Style of approach: • Whenever possible use the term ‘travel’, ‘trip’ or ‘journey’ rather than • Be sensitive to the intimate nature of holiday. Passengers might realistically the subject but reinforce the relevance be returning from a trip overseas to see of the discussion a sick relative or attend a funeral, so the • Observe whether they are engaging use of holiday might be inappropriate freely or seem afraid and/or anxious • When speaking to members of FGM • Listen to their response and point of practising communities it is advisable view but be prepared to challenge to use the terms ‘circumcision’ or unacceptable comments such as, ‘cutting’. This is more likely to elicit a ‘it’s our culture’ positive response than using the terms ‘Mutilation’ or ‘FGM’, which are terms • Tactfully create distance to enable that many practising communities the person to engage, separating may not identify with or understand. individuals when appropriate Local terms for FGM specific to • Remember to be child friendly e.g. different countries are found at crouch down to child’s level, and use nationalfgmcentre.org.uk/wp-content/ appropriate language uploads/2018/02/FGM-Terminology- for-Website.pdf • Identify any language barriers and seek assistance from colleagues • Remember that harmful practices do not necessarily happen in isolation. • Consider the different skills, powers and experiences within your team to maximise the effectiveness of • FGM is a complex form of the intervention social control of women’s sexual and reproductive rights. • Consider using acronym TED PIE – Tell me, Explain, Describe, Precisely, • FGM can be a precursor to In detail, Exactly… forced marriage. • Ask simple open questions (who, what, • Beliefs in witchcraft are used where, when, which, why) to explain away misfortune that occurs because of FGM. • Observe – Do carers object to you speaking to their child? Consider a • The relationships between the name check on the family. Consider harmful practices are complex, the need for a baggage search so keep an open mind as to what you may be dealing with. Engage passengers • FGM Act 2003 – commit, assist or arrange commission in the UK/outside the in conversation: UK. Penalty of up to 14 years in prison • State that we are raising awareness • Specific offence since 1985 ‘Prohibition regarding a number of harmful practices of Female Circumcision Act’, replaced by such as FGM, breast ironing, spirit 2003 ‘Female Genital Mutilation Act’ and possession, witchcraft and forced amended by 2015 ‘Serious Crime Act’ marriage in order to safeguard children and preventing violence against women • Key points are that it applies those who and girls are ‘habitually resident’ in the UK (a much broader definition than that of ‘UK • Find out passengers travel information, resident’.) Offences apply to all women, specifically: the location their recent as there is no age limit. Offences also travel started from, what their final have extra-territoriality, so offences still destination will be, what was the take place if done outside of the UK, by purpose of travel, how long they stayed a UK national or UK resident. There is no and their nationality (consider dual- defence in law that FGM can take place nationality) as it is a cultural practice or ritual • Check their understanding of harmful • Mandatory reporting – all regulated practices, being specific to whatever professionals (health and social care applies i.e. FGM and/or forced marriage professionals, teachers) are required • Do members of your community to report known cases of FGM in girls practice female circumcision/cutting? under ‘18’ which they identify or have had disclosed to them, in the course of • What are the community views about their professional work, direct to Police female circumcision? via 101 number • How are supporters of FGM adapting to • In 2015, Female Genital Mutilation the increased spotlight on the practise? Prevention Orders (FGMPO’s) were • Do you know how FGM is arranged and introduced. These are civil orders issued conducted (where, when, by whom, by the Family Court that have conditions what are the travel routes?) bespoke to the needs of the person they seek to protect. Conditions can include • What items are used in these practices? preventing foreign travel or seizure of • Is it legal or illegal in country of origin? travel documentation. Anyone can apply If it is illegal, is the law enforced? (with leave of the Court) to apply for an FGMPO. Breach of an FGMPO – penalty • What areas / regions / tribe are practicing? of up to 5 years in prison • What is the role of men in FGM? • Health implications – can be fatal, • Is FGM being medicalised in the UK, infections, PTSD, urinary/menstrual if so where and by whom? obstruction, childbirth complications, emotional and psychological harm Background Information • Prevalence – 29 countries across on FGM: Africa plus Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, • ‘FGM comprises all procedures that Oman, UAE and Yemen and others. involve partial or total removal of female 200 million women and girls across genitalia, or other injury to the female the world are victims of FGM genital organs for non-medical reasons’ – World Health Organisation Commonly used terms FGM/C. FGC is used by some medical professionals and international organisations for FGM to avoid the stigmatisation of practising According to the 28 Too Many report ‘FGM communities. Its use, however, seems and Social Norms - June 2019’ debates to vary considerably between different continue internationally about the most practising communities and is seen by some appropriate terminology to use to refer to local activists to not accurately reflect the procedures for altering the external female gravity of the harm caused by the practice. genitalia for non-medical reasons. Excision – the connotation can be positive or Essentially, FGM is known by different names negative according to the speaker. In some in different communities. The terms used practising communities, ‘non-excised’ girls can also point towards the communicator’s are the ones who are socially mistreated. attitude towards the practice. There are numerous other national and local Terms most commonly used internationally terms (and associated definitions) for the include: practice across Africa and beyond, including the word sunna (referring to all types except Female circumcision – by drawing a infibulation) in countries such as Somalia parallel with male circumcision, this term and Sudan and local variations such as creates confusion between two very angurya (the scraping of tissue surrounding distinct practices. It has been criticised the opening of the vagina) and gishiri for de-emphasising the severity of the (cutting of the vagina) in Nigeria. procedure performed on female genitalia. Sensitivity to language is an essential Female genital mutilation (FGM) – the element of building trust with people in most widespread term in international order to understand their perspectives and use as adopted by UN agencies in 2008: initiate change. When speaking to affected ‘The term is non-judgmental as it is a communities best practice in relation to medical term describing what is done to terminology appears to be the more neutral, female genitalia. Mutilation is the removal the better. of healthy tissue.’ ‘FGM’ has a negative connotation and emphasises the gravity of For locally specific terminology please visit: the harm caused by the practice. nationalfgmcentre.org.uk/wp-content/ uploads/2018/02/FGM-Terminology-for- – a more Female genital cutting (FGC) Website.pdf value-neutral term that is often used alone or alongside ‘female genital mutilation’ with the acronym Resources / Signposting: NSPCC FGM Helpline: www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/child- Barnardos National FGM Centre: abuse-and-neglect/female-genital-mutilation- www.nationalfgmcentre.org.uk/ fgm/ 28 Too Many: www.28toomany.org/ Feedback Home Office E-Learning Package: We welcome feedback. Share your www.fgmelearning.co.uk/ research and experiences with Project Azure, Metropolitan Police Service: CPIC-. NHS: [email protected] www.nhs.uk/Conditions/female-genital- mutilation/Pages/Introduction.aspx.