PSHE (personal, social, health and economic education) which often covers female genital mutilation is not a compulsory subject.
There are calls for pupils in England to be taught about female genital mutilation (FGM) as part of the national curriculum.
Currently PSHE (personal, social, health and economic education), which often covers the topic, isn't a compulsory subject.
The latest figures relating to the number of new incidents of FGM recorded by doctors in England will be revealed later today.
Muna Hassan campaigns against FGM with charity Integrate Bristol.
She helps educate teenagers about the issue but says every pupil should automatically be taught about it.
"Women's bodies have never been part of the curriculum, probably will never be if we still have a government like this," she explained.
"What I think what needs to happen is that this current government needs to understand the importance of making PSHE statutory, the importance of empowering our young people to discuss issues such as FGM."
It is estimated that every three seconds a child is cut due to FGM worldwide.
In the UK it has been illegal since the 1980s but there still hasn't been a successful prosecution.
In Bristol, police, schools and communities all work closely together to tackle the issue.
The method used in the city is often cited as one of the most successful in the country.
Detective Chief Inspector Leanne Pook, from Avon and Somerset Police, leads the force's fight against FGM.
She told Sky News that progress is being made but people need to stop thinking of it as a problem that only affects foreign countries.
She said: "These are children we're talking about and it doesn't sit easily with me that we can only care about those children if they have a skin colour we identify with or a nationality that we can call our own. They are children."
Amie Touray is one of those who has benefitted from the support being offered in Bristol.
She was cut, along with a dozen other girls in Gambia when she was a child.
She now campaigns about the practice but says speaking out isn't easy.
"It was hard for me because you know in the Gambian community if you speak against FGM sometimes you don't receive anything apart from insults. People will term you as an outcast, so it is very,very difficult," she said.
The Government says it is committed to ending the mutilation and has strengthened the law around FGM.
On the issue of PSHE, a spokesperson for the Department of Education said as well as offering teachers training on FGM "we have given schools the power to decide exactly how they address female genital mutilation (FGM)".
"This can include raising awareness through high-quality PSHE lessons, creating an open and supportive environment, where appropriate.
"The Government has also worked with the PSHE Association to develop a section of their website dedicated to FGM, which provides a range of guidance and resources for teachers and schools."
0 comments: