Agenda item

The report is a review of the harmful practices of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), Forced Marriage (FM) and Honour Based Violence (HBV) on Women and Girls in Brent.  The report makes twelve recommendations and the task group asks the committee to consider the recommendations, especial the recommendations that have a direct impact on services safeguarding residents.

Councillor John, Chair of the Task Group, will be present for this item.

Councillor John introduced the report of the task group and acknowledged the presence at the meeting of two other members of the task group; Councillors Harrison and Hunter.  She explained that she had presented the report to all the relevant bodies of the Council to ensure it attracted the attention and action the subjects needed.  She outlined the three harmful practices the report covered: Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), Forced Marriage (FM) and Honour Based Violence (HBV).  She was pleased to see that large scale publicity was being given to the issues covered in the report and so saw a chance to make a real difference for the good.  She drew a link to the earlier item on the supply of housing and how some of the communities in which the practices occurred lived in social housing. Councillor John related her experience of meeting two women who had been subject to forced and abusive marriages and explained that the report was being put before the committee to ensure the issues featured in any future work it carried out.

It was submitted that there was an important link between the report and that of the children safeguarding board task group.  Councillor John acknowledged this and confirmed that the recommendations of both were complementary.  The point was also made that the issues needed to be raised in schools and Councillor Harrison reported that the Children and Young Persons Overview and Scrutiny Committee had, the previous evening, agreed to pursue this.  Additionally, it was agreed that the report should be put before the joint Brent ALMO housing forum for discussion.

Members of the committee welcomed the report and acknowledged the excellent work of the task group.  It was noted that there was still a lack of adequate data collected and efficiently shared on the carrying out of the three harmful practices and the impact they had on women and girls.