CMARS > Spotlight – Female Genital Mutilation and Honour Based Abuse

Spotlight – Female Genital Mutilation and Honour Based Abuse

In this edition of the Spotlight you can, find information about

  1. Key messages for practice
  2. Education and training
  3. Key tools and resources 
  4. Further reading
  5. Contacts
Graphic of a spotlight

The focus of this edition of the Children’s MARS Spotlight is Female Genital Mutilation and Honour Based Abuse

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a procedure where the female genital organs are injured or changed and there is no medical reason for this. It is frequently a very traumatic and violent act for the victim and can cause harm in many ways. The practice can cause severe pain and there may be immediate and/or long term health consequences, including mental health problems, difficulties in childbirth, causing danger to the child and mother; and/or death. Multi-agency statutory guidance on female genital mutilation, 2020

There is no statutory definition for Honour Based Abuse. It is defined as an incident or crime involving violence, threats of violence, intimidation, coercion or abuse (including psychological,
physical, sexual, financial or emotional) which has or may have been committed to protect or defend the honour of an individual, family and/or community for alleged or perceived breaches
of the family and/or community’s code of behaviour. College of Policing: Honour-Based Abuse Advice for first responders, 2021

Forced marriage is a marriage in which one or both spouses do not consent to the marriage but are coerced into it. Force can include physical, psychological, financial, sexual and emotional pressure. In the cases of vulnerable adults who lack the capacity to sent to marriage, coercion is not required for a marriage to be forced Multi-agency statutory guidance for dealing with forced marriage and Multi-agency practice guidelines: Handling cases of forced marriage, 2022

1. Key messages for practice

  • You may not have come across a family from a country that practices FGM yet, but it may be your next case – we must ensure we are prepared and vigilant The National FGM Centre
  • Educational establishments should aim to create an ‘open environment’ where pupils feel comfortable to discuss the problems that they are facing – an environment where FGM can be discussed openly and support and counselling are provided routinely. Pupils need to know that they will be listened to and their concerns are taken seriously The National FGM Centre
  • The one-chance rule – staff may only have one chance to speak to a potential victim, and thus they may only have one chance to save a life. If the victim is allowed to walk out of the door without support being offered, that one chance could be lost College of Policing
  • Before accessing support, victims of domestic abuse at risk of honour based violence or forced marriage, experience abuse for 2 years longer than other domestic abuse victims. SafeLives

2. Education and Training

  • Children’s MARS Female Genital Mutilation Awareness e-workbook Our e-workbook on FGM provides multi-agency staff with a basic awareness of FGM. Staff will learn what the
    different types of FGM are, the health effects of FGM and what to do after it has taken place. This e-workbook is available to download from the e-workbook page of the Children’s MARS website.
  • Home Office: Recognising and Preventing FGM e-learning This free e-learning module provides safeguarding professionals with an overview of FGM as well as
    information on how to prevent FGM and how to support those who have been subjected to the procedure. The e-learning is available to access anytime from this link 

3. Key tools and resources

4. Further reading

  • Children’s MARS Domestic Abuse Toolkit contains information relating to FGM and legal orders including Forced Marriage Protection Orders and Female Genital Mutilation Protection Orders
  • Children’s MARS policy and procedure for identifying and responding to concerns about Female Genital Mutilation provides information on the types of FGM, the possible signs and indicators and advice on what to do if you suspect a child or adult is at risk of or has undergone FGM
  • Children’s MARS policy and procedure for identifying and responding to concerns about honour based abuse and forced marriage contains information about what honour based abuse and forced marriage is and what to do if a child or adult is at risk
  • The Karma Nirvana website contains information relating to honour based abuse including current campaigns and available training
  • The National FGM Centre website contains a large amount of information and resources including best practice guidance, an FGM assessment tool and direct work toolkits
  • The SafeLives website contains a number of resources, blogs, videos and podcasts on honour based abuse

5. Contacts

The Children’s MARS Board produces quarterly news updates which provide information on the work of the Board and includes updates on local and national guidance. We also promote new education and training opportunities, resources for professionals and volunteers, support for children and families and information relating to events and conferences through our communications email list.

If you wish to subscribe for Children’s MARS communications emails, please complete the communications sign up form.

A collection of our previous news updates can also be found on the communications page.

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our Facebook and Twitter pages.