Recommendation 24

While some FGM survivors and campaigners believe more needs to be done to secure convictions against perpetrators of FGM, others believe a strong focus on criminalisation can hinder efforts to engage with communities to prevent FGM and support FGM survivors. It is evident that to tackle FGM, the Government, local authorities and police must strike a balance between prevention and prosecution. However, the message needs to be clear that cultural sensitivities are irrelevant when it comes to violent, gender-based abuse, that more often than not is perpetrated against a child, and that survivors will be supported in seeking justice. (Conclusion, Paragraph 73)