Hansard

I, too, congratulate Margaret McCulloch on securing the debate. I recognise her commitment to the issue, as well as the commitment of many other members, including Kenneth Gibson. I also thank the Scottish Refugee Council, which has contributed to the debate. Holding international days is of great importance, because it is a good way to highlight issues. As Annabel Goldie said, with 200 million women affected across the world, the issue of female genital mutilation certainly needs to be highlighted.

We know that many problems can be resolved by taking a gradualist approach. That is not the case with this issue. Zero tolerance is the only way to deal with it. I look forward to the day when society sees this vile practice as being a total aberration. In the meantime, we are dealing with a violation of human rights, and I am always keen to take a rights-based approach to matters. As has been said many times, the topic of injuring genitals is often difficult to talk about. As Margaret McCulloch said, such behaviour is extreme and disturbing. We are talking about violence against women and girls; it is gender inequality.

I am delighted that Scotland’s national action plan is in place, and it is important that the Scottish Government works with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities on that. Public service workers are often at the front line of how we can address the issue, and a significant number of those are medical staff. The action plan is about prevention, protection and providing services and support.

Malcolm Chisholm was entirely right to say that the issue is not only for Scotland, the UK or the European Union to deal with; it is for the world to deal with.

The proposal in the action plan to have access to “informed mental health services” jumped out at me. There is a veil of secrecy and mystery around female genital mutilation; as my late mother used to say, you only know what you know. It is very challenging for people to understand all the different aspects of the issue. As someone said, the mental health impact of living with the consequences of FGM is important, so the practitioner who is dealing with such cases must absolutely understand what is involved.

We must deal with what is a significant breach of trust. We have heard FGM being called euphemisms such as “children being taken on holiday”. If people feel that there is breach of trust in their family, that is significant for their family relationship in the years ahead.

As has been said, there is a great deal of discomfort in reading or hearing about the topic, let alone in discussing it, but we must. It will not surprise anyone to hear me say this, because I say it about a number of issues, but FGM is not exclusively an urban issue. I know that no one is saying that. The density of population in urban areas means that there may be services there, but support must be provided around the country, not least because we know that there are challenges for ethnic minority individuals living in rural communities.

We know that the strategy’s overall aim is to prevent and eradicate violence against women and girls. That is key. The issue is about power and abusive relationships. As has been said, we know that such a thing would not happen to men. It is gender-based violence. Males have an important role to play.

As an MSP, I have the great privilege to meet people. It was a real privilege to meet the survivors of female genital mutilation and to hear their courage and the manner in which they spoke about it. I found that experience humbling.

First and foremost, we must ensure that there is respect for every individual. We must have a rights-based approach to everything. The abuse must end. Let us all fight together for the eradication of FGM.