A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
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Thiranjala Weerasinghe sj.- One Island Two Nations
?????????????????????????????????????????????????Wednesday, July 5, 2017
FGM: More than 5,000 new cases in England
The NHS in England recorded 5,391 new cases of female genital mutilation (FGM) in the past year, data reveals.
Almost half involved women and girls living in London, NHS Digital found.
A third were women and girls born in Somalia, while 112 cases were UK-born nationals.
The practice is illegal in the UK and it is compulsory for family
doctors, hospitals and mental health trusts to report any new cases in
their patients.
FGM - intentionally altering or injuring the female external genitalia
for non-medical reasons - carries a sentence of up to 14 years in jail.
It is the second time that NHS Digital has released annual FGM figures for England.
Most of the cases were spotted by midwives and doctors working in maternity and obstetric units.
The majority had originally had FGM done to them abroad and as a young child.
Funding concerns
The NSPCC says more should be done to end the practice: "FGM is child
abuse. Despite being illegal for over 30 years, too many people are
still being subjected to it and it is right that health services have
started to properly record evidence of this horrendous practice.
"It takes courage to report concerns as many feel ashamed or worry they
will betray friends and family. But we need to end the silence that
surrounds FGM to better protect children."
The National FGM Centre, which is run by the children's charity
Barnardo's and the Local Government Association (LGA), tries to prevent
the practice, but its director Michelle Lee-Izu is warning it could be
at risk of closure if government funding is withdrawn.
Cllr Simon Blackburn, from the LGA, said the government "must act now"
to secure the National FGM Centre's "long-term future" by providing
guaranteed funding.
He said: "Social work provision to girls and families affected by FGM
has been quickly and significantly improved through the intervention of
Centre social workers, embedded in council safeguarding teams, and
hundreds of referrals have been received in areas that previously only
recorded a handful of cases each year.
Mr Blackburn added that the government needed to back its commitment to
ending FGM in the UK "with the long-term funding required to make that
vision a reality".
Grassroots reporting
Anyone concerned about someone who has suffered, or is at risk of FGM,
can contact the NSPCC FGM Helpline anonymously on 0800 028 3550 or visit
nspcc.org.uk.
Wendy Preston, from the Royal College of Nursing, said: "Mandatory
reporting and compulsory sex-and-relationships education are important
weapons in the fight against FGM, and school nurses play a vital role in
both educating children and young women, and spotting those who may be
at risk.
"The government must act to attract and retain school nurses, to help
address the problem at grassroots level, and maintain momentum in the
fight to eradicate FGM."
A government spokesman said the start-up money for the centre came from
the £200m Children's Social Care Innovation Programme, and was designed
to lead to self-sustaining work, not ongoing core funding.
But he added: "Protecting women and girls from violence and supporting
victims is a key priority for this government and a personal priority
for the Minister for Women and Equalities, Justine Greening."