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<p>Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a crime and it is child abuse. The Government
is clear that we will not tolerate a practice that can cause extreme and lifelong
suffering to women and girls.</p><p>To date, there have been no convictions for FGM.</p><p>The
Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the police have highlighted that barriers to prosecution
include a lack of referrals to the police, a lack of information from affected communities,
and the age and vulnerability of victims. The Serious Crime Act 2015 introduced a
number of measures to help overcome these, including: a new mandatory reporting duty
for known cases of FGM in under-18s; extended extra-territorial jurisdiction over
FGM offences committed abroad; lifelong anonymity for victims; FGM Protection Orders
(FGMPOs), and a new offence of failure to protect a girl from the risk of FGM.</p><p>In
addition, lead FGM prosecutors have been appointed, and the police and CPS have put
in place joint FGM investigation and prosecution protocols. Border Force, the police
and other agencies regularly carry out joint operations at the border to raise awareness
of practices such as FGM to identify and protect potential victims.</p>
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