FORWARD: ​New guidelines to implement FGM education in secondary schools

[Click here to read the full press release on FORWARD website]

The Department for Education in the United-Kingdom announced new guidelines indicating that secondary schools should address FGM. However according to FORWARD it is necessary to face FGM before secondary level and start from primary school.

UNICEF data indicates that the majority of these girls were cut before the age of 5 and that generally most cutting occurs between the ages of 5 to 14 years. FGM disproportionately affects younger girls, particularly those of Primary School age. Since 2016, FORWARD has worked with over 3,000 primary school children nationally and has found that equipping young people with age appropriate language and resilience to speak up if they are at risk of any form of abuse including FGM is a vital preventative measure. FORWARD’s experience shows that it is best to work with children in years 5 and 6 as this is the time when they would also be exploring topics on puberty, noticing changes to the body. FORWARD’s experience shows that it is best to work with children in years 5 and 6 as this is the time when they would also be exploring topics on puberty, noticing changes to the body. FORWARD has learned that a ‘whole school approach’ is imperative and all school staff should receive training to equip them with the legal and pastoral knowledge to enable them to respond to disclosures in an empathetic and effective way. This is because a girl may choose to disclose to other school staff not specifically to their class teacher.