Meeting of the Parliament 10 February 2016
Some battles constantly need to be refought because they seem to re-emerge each generation. I was going to remark on the fact that the practice being made illegal in 1985 and the closing of the loophole in the law in 2015 were separated by 30 years and on the fact that we still need to have the debate, to take the action and to produce the action plan, but Christian Allard suggested—indeed, he quoted material that shows it—that the issue has been dealt with and argued over for a much longer period.
The fact that we are here and have got as far as we have in exposing the issue, to the extent that we have an international day, is testament to the efforts of everybody who is working in communities around Scotland and internationally, as well as here in Parliament, to continue to highlight it. Margaret McCulloch paid tribute to some of the many members who have done so for some time.
Margaret McCulloch was right to place the issue in the context of gender violence. Female genital mutilation is a form of structural gender violence, because of the way in which expectations are placed on people in the societies and cultures in which it is practised and the things that are demanded of them. The practice is not tied to religion although, sadly, there are those who seek to cite religion falsely to justify it. It is not tied to a particular continent or even a region. John Mason mentioned the figure of 29 countries, but there are local differences within countries. FGM is the manifestation of gender violence in particular societies and cultures, and gender violence is not acceptable wherever it takes place.
The procedure is often carried out by close friends. People even gain status as a result of their participation in the activity. I have read accounts that tell of the pressure that is involved—not just to undergo female genital mutilation but to perpetrate it or to support relatives to go through it. We could say that people in that position are complicit, but they, too, are under threat and greatly oppressed. They are forced to do things as a result of a cultural practice that should have been binned a long time ago. Those who do not take part are stigmatised; they are seen as “unclean”. Such words are common in accounts of the practice. Those who reject FGM are often treated less favourably as a result, while those who suffer it experience health problems that are often lifelong.
What is terrifying is that, in some cases, FGM is not even recognised as a practice. The phrase “FGM” is unfamiliar to many. In the communities in which the practice continues, it has become so normalised that it seems to be just a natural part of the growing-up process. It is a deep challenge to deal with that in an ingrained way. If we look back at the exposition of the issue 100 years ago, we can be sure that it fell far short of anything that could be described as culturally sensitive. It is an ever-present danger that those who are most at risk will be pushed further away by our well-intended attempts to help them.
Malcolm Chisholm identified the importance of partnership and sensitivity, and I totally agree. That has been the approach that we have taken in the national action plan; we have reflected the need to involve everybody. Given that we are talking about potentially asking people to criminalise their own families, it is inevitable that that will be difficult and sensitive. Societal standards and attitudes can often best be challenged by people inside those societies who are expressing concern and showing leadership. We should support them to be champions for progress and reform.
In one of the Parliament’s previous debates on the subject, and in consideration of the issue by the Equal Opportunities Committee, of which I am an alumnus, I remember mention being made of a passport that could be shown by family members who had come under pressure to put their children forward for the procedure—often abroad—which would say, “If you do this, you will cause severe consequences for me.” Such a scheme is now operating from England and Scotland, and some of the early response from England has been quite positive.
Even though we are doing quite a lot, we must keep moving forward. We need to keep refighting the battle. We must continue to support people in the on-going challenge. That is why we have the national action plan and have identified further things that we want to do.
We must redouble our efforts with front-line staff. The action plan identifies that we will have our multi-agency national guidance soon—in early 2016. There is also a stage beyond that to provide even more information, so that people who work at the front line can identify the signs.
There will be a new international classification of diseases code to clarify reporting, to try to get into the system a clear understanding of how many instances are happening and to work on awareness. There is also a recommendation that
“All statutory agencies have at least one named professional with expertise on FGM”.
To answer the point that Malcolm Chisholm raised about considering legislation, we are looking at the provisions on female genital mutilation that have come into force in England and Wales and we have commissioned a community-based organisation—again, partnership is the key—to consult a cross-section of the communities so that we ascertain their views and see what we can do.
Even though we have not put a mandatory duty in legislation in Scotland, this is clearly a child protection issue—it is covered by that legislation and that work. We want to continue to support organisations and agencies across Scotland to deal with the issue and to support the champions for change in their own society.
We can look at the work that has happened to continually draw the issue into the limelight not just here but around the world, where there are examples of great societal change. Kenya in particular has taken great action.
Our resolve is clear in this Government; our resolve is clear in this Parliament; and our resolve is clear in this society. Around the world, resolve is growing. That is a good place to be in, and we will continue to work in partnership with everyone around the chamber and around the country to tackle the scourge of female genital mutilation.
Meeting closed at 17:51.