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| Photo: Bawso |
Bawso is a Welsh
charity that focuses on people from Black and Ethnic Minority backgrounds who
face various forms of domestic abuse. One form of abuse, female genital
mutilation (FGM) has generated a lot of traffic through their offices.
Between April 2014 and March 2015, 788 people made enquiries
about FGM in Cardiff, Swansea, and Newport. Only 249 people made such
enquiries in the previous year. That’s about three times as many people. The
Violence Against Women Director at Bawso, Dr. Mwenya Chimba, thinks this is a
sign of a greater awareness of the problem. According to a recent study,
performed by the Trust for London and the Home Office, women who have
experienced FGM live in every part of England and Wales.
Female genital mutilation, sometimes called “female
circumcision” refers to the partial or total removal of external female
genitals, for non-medical reasons. FGM is prevalent in parts of Africa, the
Middle East, and Asia, and can have serious, negative effects on the health of
women who experience it. Severe pain and infections are common, and FGM can
result in pregnancy complications and even death.
The practice is illegal in the UK, but many women migrate to
the country after having experiences FGM, and it’s not impossible to imagine
that it takes place there too, despite the ban. Women have approached Bawso
over concerns about their own health, fears that their daughters will face FGM
if they move back to their countries of origin, or that their children might
face FGM within Wales.
Bawso tries to provide psychological support and counseling
to victims of FGM, and work on-on-one with parents who fear that their child
might be at risk. They work with mothers and fathers to help raise awareness of
the problem, and express the dangers of FGM.
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