Source · Select Committees · Women and Equalities Committee
Recommendation 25
25
Accepted
Review police and CPS strategies to increase FGM prosecution rates alongside prevention efforts.
Recommendation
The Government should continue to adopt an approach that looks at prevention and prosecution by funding and engaging with prevention efforts in local communities. Alongside this work, criminal justice agencies should review police intervention and CPS prosecution strategies with a view to increasing the prosecution rate for FGM. We acknowledge the challenges this involves, not least the willingness of survivors to testify against family members, but an effective criminal justice deterrent is a vital part of the process in tackling FGM and it is currently missing. (Recommendation, Paragraph 74)
Government Response Summary
The government will jointly convene a Ministerial roundtable to explore improving FGM prevention and prosecution efforts and multi-agency working, though it cannot comment on spending beyond March 2026. The Crown Prosecution Service has also developed an Action Plan, including National Scrutiny Panels and a multi-agency conference, to strengthen oversight and update protocols for prosecuting FGM cases.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The Government’s approach to tackling FGM is focused on preventing these crimes from happening, supporting and protecting survivors and those at risk, and bringing perpetrators to justice. To do this, prevention and prosecution must be central as part of a whole-system response. The Home Office will jointly with the Attorney General’s Office convene a Ministerial roundtable with all relevant Government departments to explore what more the Government can do to tackle FGM and improve multi-agency working. This will have improving prevention and prosecution efforts at the centre. The Home Office is currently unable to comment on spending beyond March 2026 as this is subject to the departmental allocations process following the recent Spending Review, which is yet to conclude. To strengthen oversight and governance of ‘honour’-based abuse, forced marriage and FGM cases, the Crown Prosecution Service has developed a dedicated Action Plan, which includes the introduction of National Scrutiny Panels and a second national multi-agency conference to raise awareness and promote effective partnership working. These activities will inform updates to the NPCC–CPS joint protocols on the handling of FGM cases, ensuring investigators and prosecutors are equipped with the tools, training and guidance needed to prosecute these cases and secure justice for victims.