The Prime Minister along with International Development Secretary Justine Greening and Home Secretary Theresa May announced new forms of action and greater funding to protect girls in the UK and abroad from female genital mutilation and forced marriage. The announcement was made at the Girl Summit 2014.
The Girl Summit is hosted by the government and UNICEF and aims to further domestic and international efforts to end female genital mutilation and child and forced marriage - within a generation.
The summit helps domestic and international work to to come together with a view to accelerating the work of campaigners, governments and charities world-wide. The action to be taken will encompass a variety of tactic including;
A £1.4 million FGM Prevention Programme. This will be in partnership with NHS and will safeguard those at risk as well as caring for survivors.
There will be a mandatory duty on doctors, teachers and other relevant people to report FGM where discovered
There will be new legislation implemented that will allow the prosecution of parents who fail to prevent FGM being carried out on their daughter
A new specialist FGM service will be created. This will include social services designed to proactively identify and respond to FGM.
New programmes will be implemented to prevent child and forced marriage in 12 developing countries
There is also a view to ending these practices within a generation through the creation of an international Charter.
Sue Berelowitz, The Deputy Children's Commissioner for England, commented:
"The Office of the Children's Commissioner wholeheartedly supports important moves by the Government at the Girl Summit today to eradicate female genital mutilation and early and forced marriage. It is great to see the UK showing leadership to the world in addressing these abhorrent forms of child abuse.”
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