A new teaching resource to inform teenagers of the horrors of female genital mutilation (FGM) is being launched today (July 4).
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and Kids Taskforce are launching an information pack for London children aged 11 to 17, to help tackle this form of child abuse.
The pack includes a film by Kids Taskforce and pupils at Lilian Baylis Technology School, in Kennington, called Cut – Some wounds never heal, featuring model, author and human rights activist Waris Dirie, who was also a victim of mutilation.
Kit Malthouse, deputy mayor of policing said: "The ritual mutilation of young girls is a revolting and barbaric act which is sadly far too prevalent in modern London. The Mayor has commissioned a report to try and gauge the true scale of this atrocity, but even without this, we know many girls suffer horribly because of this cultural evil.
“The Mayor has put tackling this practice firmly on the agenda with the police and their partners. This film is a welcome sign of that renewed effort. Greater knowledge should help young girls protect themselves and the generations to follow, and help our law enforcement agencies bring their abusers to justice."
About 6,500 girls in London are at risk of being taken back to their countries of origin at the start of the school summer holidays, allowing them time to recover from their wounds before returning to school in September.
The Metropolitan Police Service Child Abuse Investigation Command, through a project called Azure, works to prevent this happening to girls in London.
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