Female Genital Mutilation is a harmful practice that can be found in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, it is a worldwide health issue and is a gross violation of women’s rights. Over the past few decades, there has been international pressure on countries and their governments to criminalise FGM and offer women and girls protection from FGM and services to increase their quality of life if they are living with the consequences of FGM. This is due to the increase of migration worldwide, meaning that FGM should be seen as a problem everywhere even in countries where it is not practised anymore such as in western countries like the UK and USA. Even with the progress that has been made internationally and the decline in the practice of FGM, it still widely happens and impacts millions of girls and women. This is because of the deep-rooted factors that influence the practice to be carried out, with these relating to ideas around tradition, virginity, marriageability, hygiene, female sexuality and family pressure.
This study explored how the UK has responded to international pressure throughout the years to protect girls and women from FGM with a focus on FGM protection orders that were introduced in 2015. The research used a sample of 12 FGMPO judgements from courts in England and Wales. The findings showed that when assessing someone who is deemed at risk of FGM, many different factors contribute to someone being deemed at risk or not. It was found that the main themes in the FGMPO judgements related to a history of violence/abuse, the role of the family, credibility, justification of FGM and the response.
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