Wear the Red Triangle
A visible symbol against FGM. Wearing the badge can start a conversation; knowing the warning signs and how to respond safely is what gives that conversation purpose.
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
Freedom Charity · FGM
Female genital mutilation
No girl should be cut.
Female genital mutilation (FGM) comprises procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to female genital organs, for non-medical reasons. It has no health benefits, is a serious form of abuse and is illegal throughout the UK.
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If a girl or woman is in immediate danger, call 999. Do not confront relatives or community members if this could increase risk. Professionals should use the safeguarding procedure and law that apply in their UK nation.
FGM is abuse
It is not a medical treatment and cannot be justified by culture, religion or family expectation.
Protection is possible
In England and Wales, FGM Protection Orders can be used before FGM happens or to protect someone who has already undergone it.
Known cases
In England and Wales, specified teachers and regulated health and social-care professionals have a personal legal duty to report defined known cases involving girls under 18 to police.
Understand FGM
No health benefit. Only harm.
The World Health Organization classifies FGM into four broad types, ranging from partial or total removal of parts of the external genitalia to other non-medical injury such as pricking, piercing, cutting, scraping or cauterisation. Every form is harmful.
Immediate complications can include severe pain, bleeding, shock, swelling, problems passing urine and infection. Longer-term consequences can include urinary and menstrual problems, scarring, sexual difficulties, psychological trauma and complications in pregnancy and childbirth. FGM can be fatal.
WHO estimates that more than 230 million girls and women alive today have undergone FGM in countries where the practice is concentrated. In 2026, UN agencies estimated that 4.5 million girls were at risk during that year alone. These figures describe global scale; they should not be used to guess the risk to an individual child.
England & Wales
The criminal law
The Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003 makes it an offence to excise, infibulate or otherwise mutilate the whole or any part of a girl’s labia majora, labia minora or clitoris, subject to narrow statutory exceptions for necessary surgical operations. It also creates offences of assisting a girl to mutilate her own genitals and assisting a non-UK person to carry out FGM overseas in circumstances covered by the Act.
The Serious Crime Act 2015 strengthened the law. It extended extra-territorial protection, introduced an offence of failing to protect a girl from risk of FGM, lifelong anonymity for victims, FGM Protection Orders and the mandatory-reporting duty.
Core FGM offences under sections 1, 2 and 3 of the 2003 Act carry a maximum sentence of 14 years’ imprisonment on indictment. The offence of failing to protect a girl at risk carries a maximum of seven years.
Mandatory reporting
What teachers, health and social-care professionals must report
The mandatory-reporting duty in England and Wales came into force on 31 October 2015. It applies to regulated health and social-care professionals and teachers who, in the course of their professional work, encounter a known case of FGM in a girl under 18.
The duty is triggered where the girl directly tells the professional that FGM has been carried out on her, or where the professional observes physical signs that appear to show FGM has been carried out and there is no reason to believe the signs result from a permitted medical procedure.
The duty is personal: the professional who identifies the case must make the report to police, unless they know another professional with the same duty has already made it. It does not apply in the same way to suspected or at-risk cases, or to an adult aged 18 or over disclosing historic FGM. Those situations still require normal safeguarding procedures where appropriate.
Teachers and social workers should not examine a girl to look for FGM. The duty does not create a reason to conduct genital examinations.
Protection orders
FGM Protection Orders
An FGM Protection Order can protect someone who is at risk of FGM or someone who has already undergone FGM. In England and Wales, the Family Court can tailor an order to the risk, including preventing travel, requiring surrender of passports, controlling contact or requiring other steps needed to keep the person safe.
Who can apply?
The person to be protected, a relevant third party, or another person with the permission of the court. Adults and children can apply. A local authority can apply on another person’s behalf in the circumstances allowed by law.
How do you apply?
Form FGM001 is the main application form. Form FGM006 is used where someone applies for another person. Form C8 can protect address details. There is no application fee.
Urgent orders
The court can act quickly where risk is urgent. A hearing is normally private and the court can make arrangements to reduce contact with the respondent.
Breach
Breach of an FGM Protection Order can be reported to police and can lead to arrest and prosecution. The maximum criminal penalty for breach is five years’ imprisonment. A breach can alternatively be dealt with through contempt proceedings in the Family Court.
Prosecutions
The law in action.
2019: first FGM conviction in England and Wales
A mother was convicted after a trial concerning FGM carried out on a young girl in London. CPS reporting records that the child required emergency surgery. The mother received an 11-year prison sentence. The case showed the importance of medical evidence, early police/CPS work and testing explanations against physical evidence.
2023: assisting FGM overseas
The CPS records a second FGM conviction in England and Wales in October 2023, for assisting the commission of FGM overseas. It demonstrated that the law can reach conduct connected with FGM outside the UK where the statutory jurisdiction requirements are met.
2024: conspiracy to commit FGM and forced marriage
Emad Kaky was convicted of conspiracy to commit FGM and forced marriage after arranging for a child to travel from the UK to Iraq. The intended FGM and marriage were prevented. The CPS described it as the third FGM conviction in England and Wales and the first conviction for conspiracy to commit FGM.
These cases are examples, not a measure of prevalence. FGM is a hidden offence and low prosecution numbers do not mean low risk.
What this means in practice
By profession
Police
Treat FGM as a potential crime and safeguarding matter, consider immediate protection and other children at risk, work with social care and health, preserve digital and travel evidence, and consider an FGMPO before harm occurs.
Social workers
Assess the child’s safety, siblings and wider family network, convene appropriate multi-agency planning, understand when the mandatory-reporting duty applies personally, and do not use community mediation in place of safeguarding.
Teachers & DSLs
If a girl under 18 directly discloses that FGM has been carried out, the statutory reporting duty may apply. Do not examine the child. For suspected or future risk, follow safeguarding procedures and consider travel and family-network risk.
Doctors, nurses & midwives
Provide trauma-informed clinical care, understand mandatory reporting, record accurately, consider pregnancy and childbirth needs, safeguarding of daughters and siblings, and referral to specialist FGM services. Never perform FGM or re-infibulation.
Universities & colleges
Adult students may disclose historic FGM, health complications, family pressure or risk to younger relatives. Use student support, safeguarding and referral pathways rather than assuming the issue only concerns children.
Lawyers & courts
Consider urgent FGMPOs, confidentiality, international risk, legal aid, service, evidence and interaction with criminal proceedings.
Students & young people
You can tell a teacher, doctor, social worker, police officer or another trusted adult. If you are worried about a trip or a younger sister, seek help before travel if possible.
Community & faith organisations
Support abandonment of FGM, do not pressure a girl to remain silent and never treat mediation as a substitute for child protection or police action.
Journalists
FGM victims have lifelong anonymity. Avoid jigsaw identification and distinguish reported cases, recorded offences, prevalence estimates and prosecutions.
Young people & students
If you are worried about yourself, a sister, friend or an overseas trip, tell a trusted adult or professional. You do not have to investigate or confront anyone first.
MPs & policymakers
Separate prevalence estimates, NHS data, police records, protection orders and prosecutions. Policy should be judged by whether it improves prevention, protection, professional response and access to care.
Healthcare
If you have experienced FGM
You are entitled to respectful healthcare. NHS National FGM Support Clinics in England provide free, sensitive support for eligible patients and may offer physical assessment and treatment, emotional support and counselling, information, advocacy, deinfibulation where appropriate and referral to specialist care. Under-18s have specialist paediatric routes.
FGM cannot be reversed, but symptoms and complications can be treated. If you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, tell your midwife or doctor so care can be planned safely.
Freedom’s record
What Freedom has done
Freedom’s FGM work combines education, safeguarding, professional awareness, public campaigning, books and routes to help.
- Cut Flowers: Aneeta Prem’s FGM safeguarding novel was first published in 2016 to help schools discuss FGM carefully and age-appropriately.
- Schools and PSHE: Freedom developed FGM lesson resources and education materials to help teachers explain FGM, challenge myths and handle disclosures safely.
- Professional training: Freedom has delivered FGM awareness and safeguarding training for professionals and public bodies.
- Red Triangle: Freedom launched the Red Triangle national anti-FGM campaign with the National Police Chiefs’ Council in February 2017, creating a visible symbol intended to start informed conversations about prevention.
- Public awareness: Freedom has used media, events and campaigns to keep FGM in public view, including work around the International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM.
- Policy and evidence: Freedom has contributed evidence and commentary on FGM, safeguarding and related harmful practices, while distinguishing its role from the statutory responsibilities of government, police, social care and health services.
Prevention in practice
Take the conversation further.
Understanding FGM is a first step. Freedom’s Red Triangle badge and Cut Flowers give people practical ways to raise awareness, start age-appropriate conversations and support prevention education. Neither replaces safeguarding action when someone is at risk.
Read Cut Flowers
Aneeta Prem MBE’s safeguarding novel helps schools and readers approach FGM through a story. Freedom’s education resources support discussion and help teachers prepare for concerns or disclosures.
Concerned about someone? If there is immediate danger, call 999. Do not investigate or confront family members. Use your safeguarding procedures and Freedom’s help routes.
Get help
Risk needs action, not investigation by friends or family.
If there is immediate danger call 999. If a child may be at risk, follow safeguarding procedures. Freedom’s helpline page gives support routes; NHS services can help people living with the effects of FGM.
FAQs
Questions people ask
Is every type of FGM illegal?
Yes. The criminal law is not limited to the most extensive forms of cutting.
Does mandatory reporting mean every suspicion is reported directly to police?
No. The specific England and Wales duty applies to defined known cases in under-18s encountered by specified professionals. Suspected or at-risk cases still require safeguarding action.
Can a court act before FGM happens?
Yes. FGM Protection Orders are designed to prevent harm as well as protect someone who has already undergone FGM.
Can FGM carried out abroad be prosecuted?
Potentially yes, depending on the offence and the nationality/residence and jurisdiction provisions in the legislation.
Authoritative sources
Multi-agency FGM guidance · Mandatory reporting · FGM Protection Orders · CPS FGM · WHO
About Freedom
Why Freedom Charity
Freedom Charity was co-founded in 2009 by Aneeta Prem MBE and Lord Toby Harris. Its work brings together safeguarding, education, public awareness, professional training, books, technology, campaigning and policy engagement around forced marriage, female genital mutilation and related forms of abuse.
Freedom does not replace the police, social care, the NHS, courts, the Forced Marriage Unit or legal advice. Its role is to help people recognise risk, understand the issues, find safer routes to help and strengthen prevention.