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‘Reverse the closures of community based clinics for FGM survivors in the UK’ says RCM on International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM’

on 05 February 2018 FGM - Female Genital Mutilation

Today (Tuesday February 6th) is International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)  and The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) is continuing to campaign for improved support services for survivors of FGM.

In addition the RCM and its partners have called on each UK Government to act on the following;

  • To develop, implement, monitor and evaluate a National FGM Action Plan with the goal of ending FGM in the UK by 2030.
  • A commitment by all government agencies to end FGM, support survivors and share information to keep women and girls safe.
  • Provide accessible specialist health and psychological care and support services in community settings for survivors and potential victims of all age groups.
  • Education and training for the children's workforce in their role and responsibilities for safeguarding girls and young women.

Commenting, Gill Walton Chief Executive and General Secretary at The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) says; “Many girls and women here in the UK continue to be at risk of Female Genital Mutilation and while we have made some progress in tackling FGM, there is much more that we need to do. Many survivors still cannot access healthcare services for the much needed physical and psychological support they require and deserve.

“In the long term we must ensure robust safeguarding systems are in place for protecting girls from FGM. The RCM welcomes the next stage of the implementation of the FGM information sharing system, which we hope would demonstrate how the NHS is taking steps to embed safeguarding across all standard healthcare settings from maternity through to health visitors and GPs. However, the challenge of providing specialist services and support to young girls and women still remains.

“On this Zero Tolerance Day for Female Genital Mutilation, the Royal College of Midwives would like to thank all our partners for the collaborative work towards ending FGM. We have achieved a lot and if we continue to work closely we will achieve much more together. It is vital that we continue to raise awareness of the physical and psychological impact of FGM on women.

“The RCM will continue highlighting our collaborative “Call TO Act” which relates to the UK government’s initial framework for ending FGM with a renewed emphasis on, awareness, education and service provision in community settings.Girls and women who have undergone FGM need support and health care and we would urge the UK government to reverse the closures of community based clinics for FGM survivors.”

The RCM recently launched a series of short animated films on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).The animations where developed by the RCM in collaboration with The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), The Royal College General Practitioners (RCGP), survivors of FGM, NGOs and a variety local community partners.

Instrumentally the RCM and its partners worked closely with FGM survivors to ensure the authenticity of the stories being told via the animations remained true to the realities of surviving FGM.

 

RCM FGM short animations can be viewed here:

  • The Words Don't Come

  • Our Daughters

  • Its Our Time Now

 

Notes to editors

International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation – 6th February 2018: More information is available here: http://www.un.org/en/events/femalegenitalmutilationday/

#EndFGM

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Ends

 

To contact the RCM media relations team call 020 7312 3456 or email [email protected]

The RCM is the only trade union and professional association dedicated to serving midwifery and the whole midwifery team. We provide workplace advice and support, professional and clinical guidance and information, and learning opportunities with our broad range of events, conferences and online resources. For more information visit the RCM website at https://www.rcm.org.uk/.

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