Publication, Part of Female Genital Mutilation

Female Genital Mutilation, Quarterly Report: April to June 2024

Official statistics in development

Publication Date:: 14 Nov 2024
Geographic Coverage:: England
Geographical Granularity:: Country, Regions, Integrated Care Boards, Sub-Integrated Care Boards, NHS Trusts, Local Authorities
Date Range:: 01 Apr 2024 to 30 Jun 2024

Summary page

Introduction

38,605 women and girls who had undergone Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) have been seen at NHS services in England since April 2015, where FGM was relevant to their attendance.

Where information about when their FGM took place is known, most of these women and girls were under 18 when they underwent FGM.

In most cases there is a long gap from when the FGM was undertaken, to when information on that FGM was collected by the NHS. This is because FGM is most often seen by the NHS when an individual with FGM attends a maternity or obstetric clinic, years later, as an adult.

Age

Age when FGM undertaken: Count = number of individuals. Age is known for 40.5% of all cases.

Download the data for this chart Fig 1: Age when FGM undertaken

Age when first seen: A small number of individuals with invalid dates of birth are excluded from the collection. Age is taken at the date of the first FGM-related attendance, where a person has more than one attendance recorded. Count = number of individuals. Age is known for all cases.

Download the data for this chart Fig 2: Age when first seen

Treatment Function Area

Treatment function area: ‘Paediatrics’ refers to a number of areas related to the care of babies and children. Count = number of attendances, individuals may have multiple attendances. Treatment function area is known for 81.2% of all cases.

Download the data for this chart Fig 3: Treatment function area

Geographical Area

Geographical area is known for 44.5% of all cases.

Download the data for this chart Fig 4: Geographical area where FGM was undertaken

FGM Type

FGM Types:

Removal of clitoris / prepuce.
Removal of clitoris and labia minora.
Narrowing of vaginal orifice (includes individuals whose original FGM type 3 has been deinfibulated or reinfibulated).
All other harmful procedures to the female genitalia, i.e. pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterisation.

Type is known for 56.0% of all cases.

Download the data for this chart Fig 5: FGM Type

Data Quality

Key information on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is often missing or incomplete.

Three pieces of information are key to understanding FGM:

FGM Type (What?)
Age when FGM was undertaken (When?)
Country where FGM was undertaken (Where?)

As so much detail about the women and girls’ FGM is not known, any conclusions based on this information should be considered very carefully.

Information may be missing for many reasons; women and girls may not want to answer questions that can be very personal to them.

28% of women and girls have

0 of 3 key data items recorded.

27% of women and girls have

1 of 3 key data items recorded.

23% of women and girls have

2 of 3 key data items recorded.

22% of women and girls have

3 of 3 key data items recorded.

When ALL the key information* is known about cases of FGM…

645 women and girls had FGM undertaken in the UK.

(* Key information: FGM Type 1, 2, 3, 4 with known subtype; known age and country undertaken.)

Download the data for this chart Fig 6: FGM undertaken in the UK

Last edited: 6 March 2025 9:45 am