Nursing Times coverage of the new WHO FGM prevention guideline

“The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged nurses and other health workers to be “agents for change” in eradicating female genital mutilation (FGM) rather than perpetrators of the harmful practice.

The global body has made the call to action amid rising concerns about the “medicalisation” of FGM – a form of violence against women and girls that is illegal in the UK.

“This is a global issue everyone must play a part in addressing”

Sema Gornall

It comes as part of a refreshed guideline published this week by the WHO on how to prevent FGM and the clinical management of complications, to ensure that survivors get the best care possible.

“As a specialist healthcare professional this guidance gives me so much hope”

Huda Mohamed

A survey carried out in 2023 by Nursing Times and FGM charity The Vavengers found that more than a third of nursing professionals in the UK have received no training on FGM.

Read the full coverage here.