Meeting of the Parliament 01 February 2017
As other members have done, I welcome today’s debate and the significant degree of consensus that has been demonstrated around the chamber, which perhaps emphasises the importance of the issue. I also congratulate the cabinet secretary on the work that she has undertaken on the matter.
It is crucial that we, as a Parliament, unite to send out a message that we will not tolerate FGM and honour-based violence in Scotland. Those crimes must be tackled using the available provisions but, as has been said, it is of real concern that, to date, there have been no successful prosecutions for FGM.
The debate has also demonstrated that the Scottish Government and the UK Government must work closely together if we are to make progress towards eradicating FGM. I record my strong support for the significant work on FGM and on forced marriages that Prime Minister Theresa May undertook during her time as Home Secretary. In addition to criminalising forced marriage, she strengthened laws on FGM, including provisions on the mandatory reporting duty, which means that health and social care professionals have a legal duty to report to the police known cases of FGM involving under-18-year-olds. She also set up innovative national FGM prevention programmes, issued new guidance to raise FGM awareness among police officers, and instructed Her Majesty’s inspectorate of constabulary to inspect the police response to honour-based violence, with a focus on FGM and forced marriage.
I welcome the positive engagement and the on-going partnership approach that “Scotland's National Action Plan to Prevent and Eradicate Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) 2016-2020” is achieving, and I welcome the “Equally Safe” strategy document. I hope that the Scottish Government will continually assess the effectiveness of the work that is being undertaken across the UK and in other Governments around the world on legislating and prevention, and that it will consider what more can be done to support people in Scotland. William Hague, the former Foreign Secretary, also undertook a great deal of excellent work in trying to tackle FGM abroad. We should remember his efforts.
My colleague Annie Wells is right to note in her amendment the continuing international development and support from the UK Government. The Prime Minister has said of FGM that
“legislation alone is not enough. We must do more to prevent these harmful practices ever happening in the first place. We must raise awareness, challenge social norms and protect those at risk.”
I agree. Sometimes that will mean ensuring that political or cultural sensitivities are not used as excuses to prevent uncovering of abuse. Although that might be challenging, we must make it clear that there can be no soft-touch approach and that the laws of this country apply to everyone who lives here, in every section of our society.
The Scottish Government’s motion states that
“communities and individuals affected ... must be at the heart of work”
that is done on FGM and honour-based violence. I agree with that.
There is increasing concern that FGM is being performed on young women outside the UK. In many cases, the girls and young women are taken to countries under the pretence that they are going on holiday or visiting family members in other countries.
Ahead of the debate, I again watched “The Cut”, which is an excellent documentary that was made in 2009 by the campaigner, film maker and writer Linda May Kallestein. She helped to spread worldwide awareness of the issues around FGM.
As has already been said, it is worth reflecting on the scale of the issue internationally. FGM affects around 200 million women around the world. Traditions are very strong in many cultures and, sadly, the cultural myths behind that 5,000-year-old African tradition have not been addressed by religious, community or official leaders in many countries around the world. We all have a responsibility to try to address that.
The debate has very much demonstrated the need to focus work and resources on at-risk individuals and communities, and on helping to educate community leaders on the long-lasting damage and on-going emotional distress that FGM can cause. I commend the work of local organisations in my region, including Shakti Women’s Aid and Scottish Women’s Aid, which have really important work to do and a really important role to play. Shakti Women’s Aid is an important source of information and advice for women from ethnic minority communities across the Lothians, and it offers a safe refuge for women who are at risk.
I encourage any constituent who fears that they might be at risk of facing FGM, or who knows anyone, including young girls, who fears that they might be at risk, to contact Scottish Women’s Aid to seek support, which they will get in total confidence. It is important that all elected representatives raise awareness of the support services that exist and help to get the message out to the ethnic minority communities that we represent in our regions and constituencies.
This is an important debate. The Scottish Conservatives will happily work with the Scottish Government and parties across the chamber to help to achieve the societal, cultural and attitudinal changes that we need in order for FGM and honour-based violence to be eliminated from Scotland. In doing so, we urge ministers to work closely with the UK Government and community organisations at all levels to ensure that the legal and criminal justice systems are appropriately supported to punish and deter the perpetrators of these abhorrent practices.
I repeat what Linda May Kallestein has said on FGM:
“The topic is not pretty. We are talking about ... long term suffering and death. Despite the disgust we feel at the very thought of it, we should not look away. Young girls, who are unable to defend themselves, are the victims. They suffer in silence. We can help by giving them a voice.
Help spread it to make this voice heard all over the planet. Support the victims even more by demanding that female genital mutilation must stop. Unlike many other problems our world suffers from, where there is a lack of resources and much needs to be done, here the answer lays in the simple solution of not doing something anymore. It simply needs to stop.”
I support Linda May Kallestein’s words and the amendment in my colleague Annie Wells’s name.