1,500 Victims Treated In Local Hospital in Five Years
Birmingham’s Heartlands Hospital has treated 1,500 victims of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in just FIVE years, a shocking statistic has revealed.
The scale of the practice, which is illegal in the UK and can be life-threatening, has reached unprecedented heights in the country with the number of victims peaking at the hospital.
In 2013 the Bordesley Green-based hospital recorded 349 victims of the FGM, an increase of almost 20% from the previous year, with an average of six victims being seen every single week, all of whom had suffered the mutilation abroad during their childhood.
However, not a single conviction in the UK has been made so far, though reports to the police concerning FGM had seen an increase in 2014 alongside a rise in hospital cases.
Detective Superintendent Tim Bacon 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.”
Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson said: “Reporting has substantially increased, but it is still probably not the full picture, but we are heading in the right direction.
“All of the emphasis has to be about prevention and stopping this from happening in the first place.”
For advice and support about FGM you can contact the Muslim Women’s Network via 0121 236 9000, www.mwnuk.co.uk , or contact@mwnuk.co.uk.
The National Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) also runs a free 24-hour FGM helpline on 0800 028 3550 or fgmhelp@nspcc.org.uk.
