Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) - April 2015 to March 2016, 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 year April 2015 to March 2016.

Caution is advised when interpreting these findings because data completeness is often low and varies by submitter.

· 112 NHS trusts and 38 GP practices submitted one or more FGM attendance record. Submission was mandated for acute trusts from July 2015 and for GP practices and mental health trusts from October 2015 onwards.

· There were 5,702 newly recorded¹ cases of FGM reported, and 8,656 total attendances² where FGM was identified or a procedure for FGM was undertaken.

· More than half of all cases relate to women and girls from London NHS Commissioning Region: 52 per cent of newly recorded cases and 58 per cent of total attendances.

· Self-report was the most frequent method of FGM identification, accounting for 73 per cent of cases where the FGM identification method was known.

· 106 girls under 18 at the time of their first attendance were reported, comprising 2 per cent of all newly recorded cases.

· 87 per cent of women with a known pregnancy status were pregnant at the point of attendance.

· 90 per cent of women and girls with a known country of birth were born in an Eastern, Northern or Western African country, and 6 per cent were born in Asia.

· Somalia in Eastern Africa accounts for more than one third of all newly recorded women and girls with a known country of birth (37 per cent). Other countries with a large volume of cases include Eritrea in Eastern Africa, the Sudan in Northern Africa and Nigeria and the Gambia in Western Africa.

· 43 newly recorded cases of FGM involved women and girls reported to have been born in the United Kingdom. Of those with a known FGM type, more than 40 per cent were reported with FGM Type 4 - Piercing.

· Where the FGM Type is known, Types 1 and 2 have the highest incidence (35 and 31 per cent respectively).

· The most frequent age range at which the FGM was carried out was between 5 and 9 years old, involving 43 per cent of cases where the age was known.

· In 18 newly recorded cases, the FGM was reported to have been undertaken in the United Kingdom, including 11 women and girls who were also reported to have been born in the UK. Where the nature of the UK procedures was known, around 10 were reported with FGM Type 4 - Piercing.

· 145 deinfibulation procedures were reported, occurring at 4 per cent of attendances where deinfibulation status was recorded.

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.