Ignorance surrounding the life-threatening practice of female genital mutilation is ‘worryingly high’, a leading charity has warned today.
More than one in three people (35 per cent) in the UK do not understand the term, a survey commissioned by Plan UK has revealed.
The illegal practice, which can result in death, has attracted growing media attention in recent years, with Hollywood A-lister and UN Special Envoy Angelina Jolie leading the campaign to wipe it out.
But despite the widespread coverage, the survey findings show ‘ignorance of FGM remains worryingly high’.
A quarter of the 2,208 adults questioned said they knew of the term but did not fully understand what it means, while another one in 10 said they had never heard of FGM at all.
Plan UK chief executive, Tanya Barron said: ‘It’s clear that while a third of the public remain unaware or even oblivious to this practice, girls remain at risk, both here in the UK and overseas.
‘Tireless campaigning by a small group of people has put FGM firmly on the agenda in the UK. This research shows that we must continue to build on that progress.
‘And we must remember that this is a global problem that requires a global effort; ending FGM here in the UK means ending it in the countries across the world in which it is prevalent.’
Plan UK runs the Because I Am A Girl campaign, which works with countries across the world to bring an end to FGM.
The YouGov survey was designed to assess the British public’s knowledge of the practice, which involves the full or partial removal of the external female genitalia for non-medical reasons.
When those surveyed read what FGM amounted to, almost nine in 10 (87 per cent) agreed it was a human rights violation.
‘Recognising that FGM is a fundamental abuse of girls’ rights is the first step to ending the practice,’ said Ms Barron.
‘And we know from our programmes in countries such as Mali and Egypt that slowly but surely this recognition, along with education about the significant health risks, can bring down prevalence of FGM.’
Young people in the UK showed the lowest levels of understanding of FGM.
Almost one in five (19 per cent) of those aged 18 to 24 said they had never heard of it, while nearly a quarter (24 per cent) said they had heard the term but did not understand it.
Ms Barron said young people are central to tackling FGM.
She said: ‘Young people are absolutely critical to the success of the global campaign to end FGM. It is their generation that can break the cycle.’
Madina Bocoum Daff, Plan’s FGM programme manager in Mali, said: ‘The world is now a “big village”, everything is linked.
‘An international approach is indispensable to eradicate this scourge.
‘More and more in Mali, FGM is considered an act of violence for girls and women.
‘And people are starting to see this violence as a violation of children’s rights.’
More than 125 million girls and women alive today have been subjected to FGM, according to the World Health Organisation.
The practice can lead to infection, infertility and in some cases death.
The findings come as the trial of NHS doctor Dhanuson Dharmasena, 32, accused of carrying out FGM in the first prosecution of its kind in the UK, continues.
He denies the charge.
EACH YEAR THREE MILLION GIRLS IN AFRICA ARE AT RISK OF FGM
Female genital mutilation, also known as female circumcision, is the practice of partially or totally removing the external genitalia of girls and young women for non-medical reasons.
It commonly leads to infection, infertility and even death.
The practice is commonly carried out between infancy and the age of 15.
FGM causes ‘untold physical and emotional trauma’.
Around three million girls in Africa and 20,000 in the UK are at risk of FGM each year, Plan UK estimates.
In countries that openly practise FGM,the incidence can be very high - such as in Egypt (91 per cent) and Somalia (97 per cent - despite it recently declaring FGM illegal).
- Around the world 130 million girls and women have undergone FGM
- In Africa 101 million girls aged 10 and over have been subjected to the practise
- Every year another three million girls are at risk of FGM in Africa alone
- In the UK it is estimated 65,000 girls are at risk each year