Google – AFP, 6 February 2014
This
picture taken on February 4, 2013 shows a general view of Stafford
Hospital in
Stafford, England (AFP/File, Paul Ellis)
|
London —
British hospitals will be required for the first time to record patients who
have been subjected to female genital mutilation, the government announced on
Thursday.
The
Department of Health estimates that 66,000 women in England and Wales are
living with the consequences of FGM, and a further 23,000 girls under the age
of 15 are at risk every year.
But the
most recent figures are from 2007, indicating a lack of clear information on
the problem that the new centralised reporting system is intended to address.
From April,
state-run National Health Service (NHS) hospitals will be required to report to
the health ministry if a patient has had FGM, if there is a family history of
mutilation or if an FGM-related procedure has been carried out.
"Female
genital mutilation is an abhorrent practice that has no place in this -? or any
other -? society," said public health minister Jane Ellison.
The
procedure, which ranges from removal of the clitoris to more widespread
mutilation, can lead to infection and long-term severe pain.
It is
practised across the world and in particular in Africa, but also takes place
among immigrant communities in Western countries.
In a
statement timed to coincide with a worldwide day for action against FGM, crime
prevention minister Norman Baker said the government was determined to
prosecute those who carried out such procedures in Britain.
Female
genital mutilation has been a crime in Britain since 1985, but no-one has ever
been prosecuted. The Times reported that the first prosecution would finally go
ahead in the coming weeks.
"It is
child abuse and it is illegal. I am determined we do all we can to bring
perpetrators to justice," Baker said.
"The
law in this country applies to absolutely everyone and political or cultural
sensitivities must not get in the way of preventing, uncovering and prosecuting
those who instigate and carry out FGM."
Related Article:
No comments:
Post a Comment