Ref: ML.N0072.AR.24.02.14.
Date: 24th February 2014.
Dear Michael,
I am writing to you regarding the campaign by Fahma Mohamed to end Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). I strongly support her call for you to write to every head teacher about FGM before the cutting season begins. Your leadership would help empower head teachers to take whatever action they feel is best for their own school. I have also been contacted by a huge number of constituents urging me to back the campaign.
It is estimated that 24,000 girls are at risk of FGM in the UK, a truly horrendous number. It is also the case that girls at risk of FGM can live anywhere in the UK and it is therefore imperative that information and advice is offered across the country. Education can play a crucial role in ending FGM. I strongly believe that teaching sexual consent in personal, social and health education should include all forms of violence against women, including teenage relationship abuse, forced marriage, FGM and sexual exploitation. It should also be linked to work on gender equality and work that challenges gender stereotypes. Interestingly, a recent NSPCC survey revealed that one in six teachers weren’t aware that FGM is illegal and didn’t consider it to be child abuse. I think this demonstrates the importance of Fahma's campaign.
I understand that you will be meeting with Fahma tomorrow. I hope that this meeting is productive and I think it would be wonderful if you followed the lead of Scotland’s Education Minister, Michael Russell, and inform Fahma that you will also agree to her proposals.
I look forward to hearing back from you about Fahma’s campaign so that I can report back to my constituents.
Best wishes,
Caroline Lucas, MP, Brighton Pavilion
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