Female genital mutilation: empirical evidence supports concerns about statistics and safeguarding

Findings from our recent work with Somali families living in Bristol1 provide empirical support for the concerns raised by Creighton and colleagues about the UK’s response to female genital mutilation (FGM).2 Focus group discussions documented the myriad ways in which approaches to safeguarding against FGM—whether provided in healthcare, through children’s schools, or particularly through the heavy handed approaches of social services and police conducting …