Agenda item

Report of Councillor K Caan, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Sport

Councillor R Ali, Deputy Cabinet Member has also been invited for the consideration of this item along with the following representatives:

Detective Constable Gillian Squires, West Midlands Police

Elaine Yates, Coventry Haven

The Committee considered a Briefing Note which provided an update on progress made to tackle Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Coventry. The Briefing Note provided an update on the prevalence of FGM in Coventry and progress against the recommendations endorsed by Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee in 2015, which were detailed in the Briefing Note.

The Briefing Note provided background information on FGM, including its definition, as defined by the World Health Organisation; the impact it can have, both mentally and physically on girls and women; and the reasons given for practising FGM. The results of a survey which estimates the prevalence of FGM in England and Wales, together with data from University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire showing the numbers of women affected by FGM accessing midwifery services, were detailed in the Briefing Note. The Committee noted that the high percentage of FGM referrals to West Midlands Police during 2014-15 may be due to the well-established referral processes and reporting procedures in Coventry.

In June 2015, Coventry City Council’s Public Health Team commissioned Coventry Haven (In partnership with CRASAC and Birmingham and Solihull Women’s Aid) to provide a specialist FGM service to tackle FGM in Coventry. This service is the mail vehicle through which partners are working to eliminate FGM in Coventry and through which the recommendations made by the Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee in 2015 are being delivered. Work of West Midlands Police on this matter was detailed in an appendix.  

The Briefing Note detailed progress made on the following recommendations:-

  • Preventing FGM from taking place by raising awareness and engaging

    with communities

  • Supporting professionals to identify and support girls and women at risk

    of or affected by FGM

  • Supporting victims of FGM throughout their lives

The Briefing Note also detailed the next steps in relation to tackling FGM in the long term.

The Committee questioned officers and representatives present on the contents of the Briefing Note including:-

  • Why there have been no prosecutions for FGM nationally; the

  effectiveness of current legislation; and the use of protection orders

  • Work done at Airports (including Operation Limelight) and with Boarder

  Agency staff

  • Data available in relation to the number of girls/women effected

• Community engagement and the role of Community Champions

• Work undertaken with schools

• Sustainability and exit strategies in place to ensure all the good work and progress continues in this regard once the funding runs out.

RESOLVED that the Committee:-

(1)  Notes and welcomes the progress made in relation to FGM

(2)  Requests that Public Health officers, working with partner organisations where appropriate, :-

(a)  Ensure that there is sufficient funding to ensure that the work of the community champions can continue

(b)  Monitor and provide statistical data on the impact that the withdrawal of funding has on the work in this regard, including the impact on accessing services and service provision, and submit a report on this matter to the Committee at an appropriate time.

(c)  Requests that the Police consider mirroring Operation Limelight in other European Cities where those cities have international airports that act as a hub for flights to and from the UK (i.e. Amsterdam)

(d)  Work with partners to influence airlines into providing training for cabin crew on FGM and other safeguarding issues.