At 3am on Thursday morning, a group of police, border officers and charity workers joined the throng of holidaymakers at Manchester airport of to begin their summer campaign against female genital mutilation (FGM).
Sometimes known as the ‘cutting season’, the school summer holidays are the most common time for girls in the UK to be taken abroad, usually to their family’s country of origin, and subject to mutilation.
Operation Limelight will see Greater Manchester police and their partners speaking to outbound passengers in July about FGM and again to inbound passengers at the end of August and into September.
Travellers will be made aware of the signs that indicate someone could be at risk and informed that it is illegal for UK nationals or permanent residents to perform FGM in the UK or abroad, with a maximum sentence of 14 years imprisonment.
The first ever FGM figures in England were released last week showing that there have been nearly 6,000 new cases in the last year and that a further 65,000 girls under the age of 13 are at risk of the procedure, which can result in severe pain, shock and death as well as psychological problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
People who carry out the procedure, or ‘cutters’ are also known to come to the UK during this time to carry out FGM in the UK.
Now in its third year, Operation Limelight was designed to coincide with the school holidays of Greater Manchester and the surrounding areas of Liverpool, Yorkshire and Lancashire, which are also served by the airport.
‘Spread the word: it’s child abuse’
Detective Inspector Nathan Percival, Greater Manchester’s lead on FGM, has overseen a change in approach to FGM in the area.
“For so many years the police have gone off and done their own thing but we don’t do that anymore,” he told the Guardian. “We don’t charge in, but have a softly, softly approach. We’re learning each day from charities and voluntary sectors on how to approach – police shouldn’t be the baddies.
We need friends, siblings and community members to come forward
“For FGM it’s never just the police deciding we need to make arrests. Policy dictates now that FGM work should be multi-agency so we share information with partners at a strategy meeting to discuss the best thing for the child. We always aim to support the child and the family involved.”
Operation Limelight focuses more on raising awareness than chasing convictions (of which there have been none for FGM in the UK so far). All passengers are approached, without families being isolated. “It’s just basically chatting to people. We explain who we are, and ask whether they’ve heard of FGM or cutting. My tagline has always been: Spread the word: it’s child abuse, it’s illegal and there are serious health implications. If a criminal investigation springs, that is all well and good, but child safety is always the priority.”
In 2015, new FGM laws came into force in the UK. Under the Serious Crime Act, FGM protection orders can now be issued whereby potential victims or third parties can apply for an order to protect the person at risk. These orders can include the confiscating of passports. It is now mandatory for health and social care professionals and teachers to make a report to the police if they learn that a girl under 18 has been subject to FGM.
Percival believes mandatory reporting especially has helped to protect girls and Greater Manchester police has seen an increase in reports made to them of FGM – only nine reports were made to them three years ago, but last year, there were 94. The taboo nature of FGM remains one of the biggest obstacles to eradication, however.
“We need friends, siblings and community members to come forward, people who know that this child will be at risk this time of year. This is what we cry out for – for people to please come forward. It’s hard though, people have been carrying out FGM for thousands of years and believe that not doing it will bring shame on the family. We rely on partnerships and voluntary sector, charities like Afruka and Nestac who work in communities. These agencies work on a cultural level. They know they have a police officer who is really passionate about combatting FGM. I try and understand and put myself in their shoes. You have to with child abuse.”
Angie Marriot, a former nurse and independent consultant in honour based violence, forced marriage and FGM, worked on Operation Limelight for the first time this year.
“It’s been excellent to give out information and target a diverse population of people coming through the airport,” she said. “The opportunity is absolutely outstanding. We’re targeting everybody. I would say that 85% of people have been very positive endorsing the information they’ve been given.”
“Some of the people who’ve taken leaflets have said: ‘Oh we’ve heard about that’ and others have said: ‘What’s this? so we still know there’s a lot of work to do. There are lots of professionals out there who still don’t know about FGM. They don’t feel confident to report and overcome those cultural barriers and lots of people are fearful about being accused of being racist.
“There’s also an issue with funding. We hear about this 80 million pounds for violence against women, unfortunately that’s not trickling down to BME groups or specialists who’ve got that expertise.
“To see the police embrace a sensitive issue openly is remarkable, and GMP need to be commended for the outstanding work they’re doing here today.”
Everyone involved in the operation (police, border agents, consultants and charity workers) have volunteered their time for free.
Signs that a child may be at risk of undergoing FGM include
- being taken ‘home’ to visit family
- a special occasion to ‘become a woman’
- an older female relative visiting the UK
Signs that a child may have recently been a victim of FGM include
- the child is frequenting the toilet
- the child is complaining of pelvic pain
- a change in behaviour after going on holiday. For example, becoming suddenly submissive or anxious.
Anyone with concerns is asked to contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or the FGM Helpline on 0800 028 3550. You can also contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000.
Police and charities launch anti-FGM campaign at Manchester airport
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