Ending Female Genital Mutilation

Girls and women will be given greater protection from the illegal and unacceptable practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), Scottish Ministers have pledged.

Publishing a consultation paper on the introduction of a Bill on FGM, Minister for Equalities Christina McKelvie said:

“As a Government, we consider FGM to be an abhorrent practice, a form of abuse and a violation of the human rights of women and girls that is rightly illegal.

“We want to strengthen protections further and introduce protection orders for women and girls at risk, and place guidance for professionals on a statutory footing.

“This consultation seeks the views of stakeholders and all those with an interest in ending this form of gender based violence on those aims.”

The Programme for Government published on 4 September 2018 contained a commitment to introduce a Bill on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).  The purpose of the Bill is to strengthen the existing legislative framework  for the protection of women and girls from FGM, a form of gender based violence.

The Bill will seek to introduce protection orders for women and girls at risk, and place guidance for professionals on a statutory footing. In 2016 the Scottish Government published a National Action Plan to Prevent and Eradicate FGM.