Giving Compass' Take:

• Helen Lock writes for Global Citizen about the potential closure of UK's National FGM Centre, which works to eradicate female genital mutilation.

• What can you do to educate yourself and others on the dangers of female genital mutilation? What are you doing to support organizations like the UK's National FGM Centre to put a stop to FGM and help its victims?

• Learn more about what you can do to put an end to female genital mutilation/cutting.

The UK’s National FGM Centre — an organisation that works to eradicate female genital mutilation and support survivors — is under threat of closure following a steep reduction in government support, new figures have revealed.

The centre, which is run by the children’s charity Barnardo's and the Local Government Association, published a statement on July 24 saying “extra funding must be found” if it is going to be able to continue its work.

FGM is the non-medical practice that intentionally removes female genital organs. It can have serious consequences for health, including issues with sex, urination, menstruation, pregnancy, and more. It’s estimated that at least 137,000 women live with its effects in England and Wales.

“The government announced in 2018 it was strengthening its commitment to ending FGM within a generation and set a deadline of 2030,” Leethen Bartholomew, the head of the centre, said in the statement. “But government funding to stop FGM has reduced by 76% since 2015.”

While progress has been made in the UK in terms of what support is available for FGM survivors — for example, eight walk-in clinics at health centres opened in September 2019 — campaigners involved in taking proactive steps to prevent the procedure from happening in the first place are concerned.

In addition to supporting survivors, the National FGM Centre also issues protection orders for at-risk girls to give police the powers to intervene, and trains staff from other sectors, like teachers and doctors, to spot the signs that a young girl might be under threat.

But there is still set to be a £700,000 cut in the National FGM Centre’s annual budget this year, the Independent reports, potentially putting many more young girls at risk.

Read the full article about female genital mutilation prevention by Helen Lock at Global Citizen.