A shocking statistic has revealed that a Birmingham hospital reportedly has treated 1500 cases of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in just five years, as discussed at a meeting of the West Midlands Police and Crime Panel. Members were told that cases of the sickening practice peaked at Birmingham’s Heartlands Hospital in 2013 with 349 recorded victims - nearly 20% more than the previous year, the Birmingham Mail reported. It means around six victims are treated at the hospital every single week, showing the true scale of the hidden crime.
The Heartlands figures were cited to the panel by Home Office expert Stephen Rimmer, in his report about preventing violence in vulnerable people in the West Midlands.
FGM has been illegal in the UK since 1984, and since 2003 anyone taking a child out of the UK for the barbaric practice faces 14 years in prison. The newspaper reported that despite the rise in hospital cases and an increase in reports to police in 2014 there has not been a single conviction in the UK.
The panel was also told by the Muslim Women’s Network that the current support and counseling for victims was simply not good enough.
Shaista Gohir MBE, who is Chair of the charity, told the panel: “We need to get funding for specific counseling in this area.
“There is a significant population in this region where FGM is practiced.”
Detective Superintendent Tim Bacon, the force lead for safeguarding children, told the meeting that a police campaign was launched last July to raise awareness about FGM.
He said: “This is a form of child abuse and we will investigate every single case, but we do also rely on our partners.
“There were no reports of this happening in 2001, 2002 or 2003. In 2012 we had 25 reports and between January and November of 2014 there were 118 reports to us.
“That is the difference in the awareness of this between the years.”
The National Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) also runs a free 24-hour FGM helpline on 0800 028 3550 or [email protected].
