The conference ‘Protecting against Female Genital Mutilation and caring for survivors’ was held on the 24th February 2015 in Leeds. It was a day full of guest speakers who are all striving towards a mutual goal- the eradication of FGM through sharing knowledge and educating professionals on the national services available to protect survivors of FGM and their families.
The day commenced with an introduction by Jennifer Bourne-Queens Nurse, Department of Heath FGM Programme Team-who gave an overview of what FGM is, where it is practiced and why. She reiterated the shocking statistic that there are between 130 and 140 million girls and women worldwide who are living with the consequences of FGM. This figure set the tone for the conference, emphasising how large the problem of FGM is and how much work is needed to eliminate the practice within the next generation. Although an overwhelming reality, the speakers reminded the audience that we must start small by doing our individual bit to ensure that people are aware of FGM as an abhorrent violation of human rights and as a form of child abuse. In order to move forward in the mission to eradicate FGM in the next generation, the speakers suggested areas for development and national participation : reporting and referring, psychological support and the need for more community services.
Need for more community services
Tom Reardon- Chief Executive of Leeds City Council- emphasised the need for more community services to support survivors of FGM by stating that we need to start from the “bottom up.” In other words, organisations need to focus on working with local communities to give them information about care pathways and local services which are available to offer physical, mental and social support to survivors of FGM and their families. More supportive contact with families leads to more opportunities to safeguard future generations.
This was backed up by Astrid Fairclough- Department of Heath FGM Programme Manager- who stated that we need to adopt a multidisciplinary approach to tackle FGM, involving community groups, NHS, police and social services. The aim of the Department of Health’s FGM Prevention Programme is to ‘Care, Protect and Prevent.’ In order to do this professionals can start by accessing eLearning programmes (eLearning for Health website- www.e-lfh.org.uk), visiting the ‘FGM Guidance for Professionals’ NHS webpage, attending conferences and following safeguarding guidelines (to be published soon).
Psychological support
Many of the speakers at the conference stressed the importance of offering psychological support to survivors of FGM and their families. This is an area of practice which is lacking in the UK. Sarah Bennett- Specialist BME Midwife at the Leeds FGM Clinic- described how the Leeds clinic is structured and the services that the experienced multidisciplinary team offer to women in the childbearing period. She stated however, that they need to improve the counselling services that they offer through the commissioning of a specific service, as the effects of FGM are not solely physical, but deeply psychological as well. Although the staff at the Leeds FGM Clinic spend quality time with the women and their families to listen to their stories, needs and concerns and refer women to voluntary organisations, a more comprehensive counselling service would be welcomed by all.
Leyla Hussein- psychotherapist and Lead Anti-FGM Campaigner- spoke of the ‘Dhalia’s Project’ which was set up as a pilot programme to provide support for women living in London who have undergone FGM. It comprised 6 weekly sessions that offered tailor made support to women, such as one to one counselling sessions. From a psychological perspective, Leyla described how the psychological scar of FGM manifests itself through post-traumatic stress disorder, flashbacks, sexual dysfunction, severe depression and post natal depression. In addition, many of the women presented with complex histories of sexual violence, early/forced marriage, domestic violence, child trafficking and breast ironing. It is therefore unsurprising that 6 sessions were not enough to provide women with time to become comfortable and share their stories. Fortunately, Leyla has been granted funding to continue the project; this time it will run for 12 weeks and will be facilitated by 2 qualified counsellors.
Some of the psychological issues that are described above were dramatized by the drama group ‘Diasporan Hands.’ This group is made up of a team of Sierra Leoneans living in the UK and their mission is to educate people about FGM with the ultimate goal to help eradicate the practice. The drama piece that they presented was shocking and extremely thought provoking. It told the story of a young girl who was taken to a local woman to undergo FGM and showed the devastating effects that this practice had on her later relationship with her husband where she was unable to have a sexual bond with him, leading to his infertility; the trauma of childbirth and the ongoing psychological suffering that it caused her. Once again, we saw the importance of having local services which offer safe spaces to survivors of FGM to access emotional support.
‘Solace’ and the ‘Black Health Initiative (BHI)’ are some of these local organisations who offer support to survivors of FGM. Heather Nelson- BHI Director- described how the organisation is offering training to the women who access the services to take on supportive roles for other survivors of FGM.

Overall, the conference was successful in empowering the attendees to do their little bit to help eradicate FGM within a generation. The words “FGM is everyone’s business” echoed throughout the day and will hopefully spread across the nation to improve physical, mental and emotional outcomes for survivors of FGM and their families.

Report by Nada Majid, 3rd Year Midwifery Student and Maternity Stream Volunteer