Avon and Somerset Police have this week become the latest force in the country to aid the prevention and ending of female genital mutilation (FGM) by seizing the passports of three girls who were travelling abroad from Bristol as soon-to-be victims of the practice.
Bristol police confiscated the documents and applied for female genital mutilation protection orders (FGMPOs) for the girls under legislation implemented in July 2015. The action follows on from this year’s International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM (which falls annually on 6 February), and comes just a fortnight before Bristol-based charity Integrate holds its annual conference which will focus on a wide range of issues including radicalisation and the importance of ending FGM. It also comes three weeks before FORWARD, a charity which focuses on the ideology of communities working together to help achieve their vision of a safe world in which women can live with dignity and equality, will hold a conference in Bristol marking the International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM and addressing the significance of ending FGM both within the city and further afield.
Tags: Bristol police, Female genital mutilation, FGM, FGM protection orders, halo project, zero tolerance
