MY WHITE RIBBON PLEDGE
My Pledge………………
At the White Ribbon Launch, Wednesday 22 November 2017 we were all asked to make a pledge. Mine was that I would bring it up at our next IAG meeting and enrol our members to spread the word to your communities of illegal practices used against Women and Girls, and to a lesser extent, against Men and Boys. The most serious practices can only be performed on Girls, i.e. FGM and breast ironing.
With our members agreement, I would like to make this a fairly regular item in our agenda.
Forced Marriage.
Forced marriage is a criminal offence. A forced marriage is one in which one or both spouses do not (or, in the case of some adults with learning or physical disabilities or mental incapacity), cannot consent to the marriage and violence, threats, or any other form of coercion is involved. Coercion may include emotional force, physical force or the threat of physical force, and, financial pressure. In an arranged marriage, both parties have consented to the union but can still refuse to marry if they choose to.
In 2016, the Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) gave advice or support related to a possible forced marriage in 1,428 cases.
These figures include contact that has been made to the FMU through the public helpline or by email in relation to a new case.
Of the cases that FMU provided support to:
371 cases (26%) involved victims below 18 years of age and
497 cases (34%) involved victims aged 18-25.
In 2016, the majority of cases 1,145 (80%) involved women victims, while 283 cases (20%) involved male victims.
These statistics only represent the cases that have been reported to the FMU. Forced marriage is a hidden crime, and these figures may not reflect the full scale of the abuse
Forced marriage is not a problem specific to one country or culture. Since it was established in 2005, the FMU has handled cases relating to over 90 countries across Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and North America.
In 2016, the FMU handled cases relating to 69 ‘focus’ countries which a victim was at risk of, or had already, been taken to in connection with a forced marriage.
The six highest volume countries in 2016 were:
Pakistan - 612 cases (43%).
Bangladesh - 121 cases (8%).
India - 79 cases (6%).
Somalia - 47 cases (3%).
Afghanistan - 39 cases (3%).
Saudi Arabia - 16 cases (1%).
In 2016, 157 (11%) of the cases that were handled by the FMU had no overseas element, with the potential or actual forced marriage taking place entirely within the UK.
Number of cases the Forced Marriage Unit gave advice or support to, by age, 2016 Age Numbers Percentages
Age Numbers %
15 and under 220 15
16-17 151 11
18-21 290 20
22-25 207 15
26-30 137 10
31-40 91 6
41+ 28 2
Unknown Adult 285 20
Unknown Minor * 19 1
Total 1,428 100
1. Source: Forced Marriage Unit; Foreign and Commonwealth Office
2. * A minor refers to any child under the age of 18
Some very worrying statistics:
On average a woman will suffer 35 incidents of Domestic Violence before calling the Police.
Globally 38% of women that are murdered the perpetrator is an intimate partner.
Globally 14 million adolescent girls become Mothers
Globally 35% of women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence from an intimate partner in their lifetime.
Globally there are about 750 million girls living that were forced to marry before their 18th birthday.
Female genital mutilation (FGM)
Explanation: The NSPCC launched its dedicated FGM helpline in June 2013 for anyone with concerns about FGM. People can contact the helpline by phone on 0800 028 3550 or by email.
From 24 June 2013 to 31 January 2017 the NSPCC received 1,564 contacts to the NSPCC Helpline on FGM. 35% of these contacts resulted in a referral to external agencies.
We don’t know how many girls and women are affected by, or at risk of, female genital mutilation (FGM) in the UK. However, we can look at what we know about FGM in other countries and use it to estimate the scale of the problem here.
There are an estimated 137,000 women and girls affected by FGM in England and Wales.
Since July 2015, 79 Female Genital Mutilation Protection Orders have been made to safeguard girls from female genital mutilation
We have responded to over 1,500 contacts about FGM since June 2013. More than a third of these contacts have resulted in a referral to the police or children's services
The age at which FGM is carried out varies. It may be carried out when a girl is new-born, during childhood or adolescence, just before marriage or during pregnancy. Globally the highest prevalence of FGM occurs in the 0 -15 age group.
Over 100 girls were identified as having, or were having treatment for, FGM in England in 2015/16.
What is FGM?
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is the partial or total removal of external female genitalia for non-medical reasons. It's also known as female circumcision or cutting.
Religious, social or cultural reasons are sometimes given for FGM. However, FGM is child abuse. It's dangerous and a criminal offence.
There are four main types of FGM:
Type 1 (clitoridectomy) – removing part or all of the clitoris.
Type 2 (excision) – removing part or all of the clitoris and the inner labia (lips that surround the vagina), with or without removal of the labia majora (larger outer lips).
Type 3 (infibulation) – narrowing of the vaginal opening by creating a seal, formed by cutting and repositioning the labia.
Other harmful procedures to the female genitals, including pricking, piercing, cutting, scraping or burning the area.
FGM is often performed by traditional circumcisers or cutters who do not have any medical training. However, in some countries it may be done by a medical professional.
Anaesthetics and antiseptics aren't generally used, and FGM is often carried out using knives, scissors, scalpels, pieces of glass or razor blades.
FGM often happens against a girl's will without her consent and girls may have to be forcibly restrained.
There are no medical reasons to carry out FGM. It doesn't enhance fertility and it doesn't make childbirth safer. It is used to control female sexuality and can cause severe and long-lasting damage to physical and emotional health.
The 'medicalisation' of FGM i.e. where FGM is undertaken either in a hospital setting by a medical professional elsewhere, for example out in the community - does not make the practice of FGM safer or any the more tolerable. In Egypt a doctor was prosecuted and convicted following the death of a 15 year old girl when he practised FGM on her in a hospital. FGM is outlawed in Egypt but it is widely practiced.
Effects of FGM
There are no health benefits to FGM and it can cause serious harm, including:
constant pain
pain and/or difficulty having sex
repeated infections, which can lead to infertility
bleeding, cysts and abscesses
problems passing urine or incontinence
depression, flashbacks and self-harm
problems during labour and childbirth, which can be life-threatening for mother and baby
Some girls die from blood loss or infection as a direct result of the procedure.
Signs, Indicators or risks.
A girl at immediate risk of FGM may not know what's going to happen. But she might talk about or you may become aware of:
a long holiday abroad or going 'home' to visit family
relative or cutter visiting from abroad
a special occasion or ceremony to 'become a woman' or get ready for marriage
a female relative being cut – a sister, cousin, or an older female relative such as a mother or aunt.
Who is affected by FGM?
Girls living in communities that practise FGM are most at risk.
Data on FGM is only collected in 27 countries in Africa and also in Yemen (WHO, 2012), but we know FGM is practiced in up to 42 African countries in the Middle East and in Asia (House of Commons International Development Committee, 2013).
FGM can happen in the UK or abroad. It is essential to understand the FGM and other harmful practices are not just a problem for the African continent. These are global problems, which require resilient and sustained trans-national action.
In the UK, the Home Office has identified girls from the Somali, Kenyan, Ethiopian, Sudanese, Sierra Leonean, Egyptian, Nigerian, Eritrean, Yemeni, Kurdish and Indonesian communities at most risk of FGM (HM Government, 2016).
Girls are also at risk if FGM has been carried out on their mother, sister or a member of their extended family (HM Government, 2016).
If you think that a child may be at risk of female genital mutilation or if you suspect that FGM has already happened, even if it's not recently, you must seek help and advice.
Call the FGM helpline on 0800 028 3550 or email fgmhelp@nspcc.org.uk.
If you think a child is at immediate risk call the police on 999.
Mandatory reporting requirements
Regulated health and social care professionals and teachers in England and Wales must report ‘known’ cases of FGM in under 18s to the police (Home Office, 2016).
Breast Ironing.
The practice of breast ironing is increasing in the UK, with at least 1,000 girls across areas inhabited by west African communities at risk of being subjected to the treatment. The alarm was raised by Conservative MP for Rossendale & Darwen, Jake Berry, who claimed at least a quarter of children's service departments in the UK were not trained to deal with this practice.
Home Office minister Karen Bradley said some people might feel reticent to put a halt to such practices due to cultural reasons, but added the UK government was "absolutely committed" to halting breast ironing.
What is breast ironing?
Breast ironing, also known as breast flattening, is a form of mutilation by which girls' breasts are pounded and burned with heated objects, such as spatulas, stones and hot spoons. Girls are typically subjected to the practice twice a day for weeks or months, but the frequency of the practice varies from area to area.
The aim is to prevent breasts from growing and hide puberty signs to make girls less attractive to men. Breast ironing is mostly carried out by family members – mainly women – who want to protect girls from sexual assaults and early pregnancies that could bring shame to the family and result in stigmatisation. In some instances, breast ironing is also practised to prevent early marriages and encourage girls to pursue their education.
Breast ironing is widespread in Cameroon, where at least half of the female population undergoes the practice, according to the United Nations (UN). Breast ironing is also present in other African countries, including Benin, Chad, Ivory Coast, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Kenya, Togo and Zimbabwe.
According to Cameroon-based NGO Gender Empowerment and Development (GeED), girls as young as eight are subjected to the practice in the country, mostly in urban areas. The NGO identified the practice as a case of family violence and female-to-female violence as it is imposed on young girls without their consent. The UN defined the practice as one of five under-reported crimes related to gender-based violence.
Consequences
Breast ironing is very painful and can cause tissue damage, deformities and psychological problems. Other effects include: high fever, abscess and cysts, breasts pimples on and around the nipples, itching, milk infection and the complete disappearance of the breasts. "Saying that breasts are destroyed” is an understatement. Adolescents are traumatised, mutilated.
This is a serious damage not only on their physical integrity, but also on their social and psychological well-being. And we must stop it," UK-based organisations CAME Women and Girls Development Organisation (CAWOGIDO) said. The NGO added the practice often proves futile against prevention of pre-marital sexual activity.
However, the National Police Chief's Council (formerly the Association of Chief Police Officers) says that they too are concerned and are working with communities to encourage people to come forward to report the crime.
“Breast ironing is something that we are acutely aware of, sensitive to, and it’s something that we’re working with communities to make sure, that we educate it, but there’s also a very hard message that we will prosecute people who attempt to do it.”
‘Not one person has ever been convicted of this crime in the UK. The lack of prosecutions partly stem from a fear by the victim of reporting a family member.’
Margaret Nyuydzewira, founder of the CAME Women and Girls Development Organisation, a UK charity campaigning on behalf of victims, spoke to The New Day spoke of the complexities surrounding the practice.
‘It is brutal. There is a lot of trauma. Mothers are doing it with good intentions, to protect their daughters from sexual harassment, but it does not fit with British values. Women need to understand that what they are doing is harmful to their children and it may have a long-term impact.’
Read more at: https://www.marieclaire.co.uk/reports/what-is-breast-ironing-45134#7GdGMFz31TGIFUYK.99
Michelle Dibble
