Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) - October 2015 to December 2015 Experimental Statistics

The Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) Enhanced Dataset (SCCI 2026) is a repository for individual level data collected by healthcare providers in England, including acute hospital providers, mental health providers and GP practices.

All figures reported below relate to national level English data for attendances during the quarter October to December 2015.

Caution is advised throughout any interpretation of these findings because data completeness is often low and varies by commissioning region and submitter.

• 82 NHS trusts and 17 GP practices submitted one or more FGM attendance record. Submission is mandatory for NHS acute and mental health trusts and GP practices.
• Almost all the information was submitted by NHS trusts. GP practices submitted just 2 per cent of newly recorded women and girls and 1 per cent of total attendances.
• There were 1,316 newly recorded¹ cases of FGM reported, with 2,238 total attendances² where FGM was identified or a procedure for FGM was undertaken.
•  Around half of all cases relate to women or girls from London NHS Commissioning Region: 45 per cent of newly recorded cases and 56 per cent of total attendances.
• Where the FGM type is known, types 1 and 2 have the highest incidence (38 and 31 per cent respectively).
• In combination, types 1, 2 and 3 covered over 90 per cent of known FGM types (91 per cent), with a relatively low incidence of the remaining categories.
• 35 girls under 18 at the time of their first attendance were reported, comprising 3 per cent of all newly recorded cases.
• Self-report was the most frequent method of FGM identification, accounting for 73 per cent of cases where the FGM identification method was known.
• 91 per cent of women and girls with a known country of birth were born in an Eastern, Northern or Western African country.
• Somalia in Eastern Africa accounts for more than one third of all newly recorded women and girls with a known country of birth. Other countries with a large volume of cases include Eritrea in Eastern Africa, the Sudan in Northern Africa and Nigeria in Western Africa.
• 11 newly recorded cases of FGM involved women and girls reported to have been born in the United Kingdom.
• 33 deinfibulation procedures were reported, occurring at 4 per cent of attendances where deinfibulation status was recorded.
• The health implications of FGM were discussed at 96 per cent of attendances where confirmation on this aspect of their attendance was received.
•  Women or girls were advised of the illegalities of FGM at 96 per cent of attendances where confirmation on this aspect of their attendance was received.

Definitions

¹ Newly Recorded women and girls with FGM are those who have had their FGM information collected in the FGM Enhanced Dataset for the first time. This will include those identified as having FGM and those having treatment for their FGM.

'Newly recorded' does not necessarily mean that the attendance is the woman or girl's first attendance for FGM.

² Total Attendances refers to all attendances in the reporting period where FGM was identified or a procedure for FGM was undertaken. Women and girls may have one or more attendances in the reporting period. This category includes both newly recorded and previously identified women and girls.