Teachers were today being trained how to speak to children about the “taboo” subject of female genital mutilation.
At a conference in Victoria, a lesson plan, which includes quizzes, videos and information cards, was launched to help teachers broach the subject in PSHE (personal, social, health and education) classes.
The charity Forward called the conference to try to help teachers to talk about FGM. It is estimated that 24,000 girls in Britain are at risk from the practice.
Forward urged that lessons be attended not only by pupils from all ethnicities but also by boys and a spokeswoman said teaching would raise awareness and debunk myths. She added: “Given the taboo nature of the practice, it is essential that girls are aware of support services that they can access.”
Teachers received a lesson plan which is designed for use in secondary schools for pupils aged around 12. It encourages teachers to avoid judgmental words — instead of saying words such as “wrong”, they should say “harmful” or “illegal”.
The lessons are designed for pupils from all backgrounds and Forward said it was important that all pupils know about FGM because many schools are multi-cultural and children are more likely to turn to peers for support.
The staging of the conference comes after the Evening Standard revealed that only seven primary schools in Britain — six in Islington and one in Bristol — were making pupils aware of FGM. However, the charity said it was receiving growing number of requests from teachers wanting to learn how to talk to pupils about FGM.
Naana Otoo-Oyortey, its executive director, said: “Pupils should be empowered and engaged to know about issues that could be affecting them, their peers and communities. Pupils are better equipped to be able to support themselves, peers and siblings who may be at risk of or affected by FGM.”
The conference was staged as the Bar Human Rights Committee — a group of human rights lawyers — told MPs that protection orders, used to protect victims of forced marriage, could be used to help girls at risk of FGM by allowing police and councils to confiscate the passports of potential victims.
