Understanding FGM, the mandatory reporting duty under the Serious Crime Act 2015, and how to recognise children at risk.
FGM is female genital mutilation, the deliberate cutting or injuring of a girl's genitals for non-medical reasons, a form of child abuse and a criminal offence in the UK.
Female genital mutilation (FGM) comprises all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. It is illegal in the UK, causes significant and lasting physical and psychological harm, and is a form of child abuse. Since October 2015, there has been a mandatory duty on regulated health and social care professionals and teachers in England and Wales to report known cases of FGM in girls under 18 to the police.
FGM is typically carried out by a practitioner in the community, often during childhood or early adolescence. Girls may be taken abroad during school holidays for the procedure, or FGM may be performed in the UK. The practice is associated with specific cultural, ethnic, and geographical communities, but it is important to be aware of risk without stereotyping. Families may not recognise that FGM constitutes abuse.
In your child's behaviour
Know the mandatory reporting duty
Under the Serious Crime Act 2015, teachers and health professionals must report known cases of FGM in girls under 18 directly to the police. This duty applies where the professional has been told about FGM or has observed it — it is not discretionary.
Use the FGM risk indicator checklist
Schools in particular should use risk assessment tools prior to school holidays to identify girls who may be at risk. The Home Office and NSPCC provide guidance materials and checklists for this purpose.
Refer concerns to your DSL promptly
If you have a concern that a girl may be at risk of FGM before it occurs, this is a child protection matter and should be referred to your DSL immediately. Early intervention can prevent the procedure from taking place.
In immediate danger: call 999. For non-emergency police matters, call 101.
Concerned about a child but it's not an emergency? NSPCC helpline 0808 800 5000. Childline for young people 0800 1111.
This is practical educational content to support families. For case-specific concerns about a child's safety, contact the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000 or your local safeguarding team.
Myth: FGM is required by religion.
Fact: FGM is not required by any religion. The practice predates Christianity, Islam and Judaism, and no religious text advocates or justifies it — where it happens, it's a cultural practice, not a religious one, and it's illegal in the UK regardless of the reason given (Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003).
Myth: FGM only happens abroad, so it isn't something to look out for here.
Fact: FGM can happen to girls in the UK as well as overseas. It's illegal wherever it takes place, and it's also illegal to take a girl abroad to be cut, or to help arrange this (Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003) — so UK professionals treat it as a live safeguarding issue, not something that only happens elsewhere.
Myth: FGM is a hygiene or health practice with some benefit.
Fact: FGM has no health benefit. It causes serious harm at the time and can lead to long-term physical and psychological problems, however it was carried out — which is exactly why it's treated as a form of child abuse under UK law.
FGM can happen well before puberty, and girls from families with a history of the practice can be taken abroad from primary-school age. Be aware if a family talks about a long trip abroad timed around the school holidays, especially the summer, as this is when girls are most often taken so there's time to recover before term starts. If you're worried, the NSPCC FGM Helpline (0800 028 3550) can advise confidentially.
This age band sits within the highest-risk years, as FGM is most often carried out before puberty. Watch for a planned trip abroad that a girl seems anxious or reluctant about, talk of a 'special' ceremony, or an unexplained extended absence from school around the holidays. Schools use FGM risk-assessment checklists ahead of the holidays — raise any concern with the school's designated safeguarding lead.
Risk remains high through these years. Warning signs can include a girl avoiding PE or swimming, withdrawing from friends, an unusual reluctance to talk about an upcoming holiday, or a prolonged unexplained absence from school. If a girl discloses that FGM has already happened, or you believe it's about to, contact the police (101, or 999 in an emergency) — professionals have a mandatory duty to report known cases in under-18s.
FGM can still occur in the mid-teens, though most cases happen earlier. If you're worried a young person is at risk, you can apply for an FGM Protection Order through the family court to prevent it, whether or not her family agrees. NHS FGM support clinics offer specialist, confidential care for anyone who has already been affected.
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