Child Care Solicitors

Hounslow Council in Greater London and leading anti-FGM charity FORWARD have joined forces at a special free event in the fight against FGM, which was held on Saturday (16/07/16).

The Keeping Our Girls Safe Family Day hosted numerous activities, as well as offering the opportunity for people to find out more about the work being carried out to tackle female genital mutilation (FGM) across the borough – and the ways in which people can get involved in the fight to erase the practice of female genital mutilation from society.

Girls from communities which practise FGM are often more at risk in the school holidays in the summer, when they may be taken out of the UK to visit family in countries where the practice takes place.

In the UK, FGM is illegal and is now considered to be child abuse.

Hounslow Council says that it has been helping to lead the way in the fight against FGM and raising awareness by holding and supporting a number of events in the last year – including marking International Day of Zero Tolerance in February.

The council – which funds FORWARD (Foundation for Women’s Health Research and Development) – also teamed up with the charity to host the Hounslow Against FGM Community event in June 2015, highlighting the work in safeguarding girls from communities in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, where FGM is practised.

At the 2015 conference, Councillor Sue Sampson said that FGM was a very deep-rooted practice carried out for many different cultural reasons “but generally constitutes discrimination against women”.

“It has been for too long a taboo subject, with some girls as young as five undergoing the procedure with a myriad of life-long health problems as a result,” she added.

Commenting on the July 2016 event, Cllr Sampson said that the event was “a free, family day out” – but added that the serious side of the event was that FGM could be happening in any local community.

“FGM is acknowledged in the UK as a violation of the human rights of girls and women – but for too long, it has been a taboo subject, hidden from society in general.

“By bringing the community together, we can make more people aware of this – and hopefully get closer to putting a stop to it,” she said.

Duncan Lewis Children Lawyers

Duncan Lewis children lawyers can advise on a wide range of family and child care matters, including child abuse within the family, FGM, forced marriage, honour crimes and dowry disputes.

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