Female genital mutilation (FGM)

Welcome to Learn on the go, a Community Care Inform podcast where we discuss what the latest research findings mean to your practice. In this episode, we asked two experts to summarise the research on female genital mutilation (FGM), and explain what social workers can learn from it. The experts Sonita Pobi is head of training at the National FGM Centre, a partnership between Barnardo’s and the Local Government Association funded by the Department for Education. She has developed and delivers the CPD advanced level training "Multi-agency safeguarding against female genital mutilation" which is available nationally. Dr Comfort Momoh is an FGM and public health specialist with extensive experience of holistic, women-centred care. She established and runs the African Well Woman’s Clinic at Guy’s and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust. Comfort has been working on women and girls’ rights issues for more than 30 years, and is a strong campaigner against domestic violence and for the eradication of FGM. The podcast is presented by Ruth Hardy, assistant content editor at Community Care Inform. 0.00 – 06:11 Sonita Pobi discusses the research ‘Prevalence of Female Genital Mutilation in England and Wales: National and local estimates’. 06:12 - 19:58 Sonita Pobi discusses the research "Between Two Cultures". This found that the majority of those interviewed were opposed to FGM, but that more traditional families, people from rural communities and people with a lower level of education are more likely to support FGM. 19:59 - 23:18 Comfort Momoh discusses tackling FGM and why FGM must be seen as a safeguarding issue. References Macfarlane, A and Dorkenoo, E (2014) Prevalence of Female Genital Mutilation in England and Wales: National and local estimates City University London and Equality Now Mandatory reporting of female genital mutilation: procedural information (2015) Department for Education and Home Office Norman, K; Gegzabher, SB and Otoo-Oyortey, N (2016) "Between Two Cultures": A Rapid PEER Study Exploring Migrant Communities' Views on Female Genital Mutilation in Essex and Norfolk, UK National FGM Centre and Forward Tackling FGM in the UK: Views of People From Communities Affected By FGM (2015) Tackling Female Genital Mutilation Initiative and Options