Tuesday 25 April 2017

There's a right way and a wrong way to do everything.

The right way

From a London Assembly press release:

Recommendations include:

• The Mayor must take a visible lead in tackling FGM. The delivery of the Police and Crime Plan must demonstrate this commitment and drive a multi-agency response to FGM.

• A pan-London campaign to raise awareness of the real dangers of FGM, signposting women and girls to the support they require.

• Communities affected by FGM should be engaged to raise awareness, strengthen community-based prevention work and provide training for professionals.

• The Mayor must support the provision of bespoke training for London’s frontline practitioners.

• Support should be given to the police, health, social care and education services, voluntary organisations and communities.


The wrong way

From Sky News:

Mandatory checks are already law in France, which has had far greater success prosecuting FGM cases. Although it has been illegal in the UK since 1987, there have been no successful prosecutions.

Ms Parker said: "All these measures to combat this despicable crime are already law in France, a country that has a far, far better record than us on FGM. Not only have they proven effective both in protecting girls in France from FGM, they also help provide essential evidence to mount prosecutions where FGM has taken place. It is time the United Kingdom caught up."

20 comments:

paulc156 said...

Similar to the old days when witches were the target and
witch-finders,(proto-UKIP'ers)would scour the country forcibly examining girls to see visible signs of fornication with the devil.

Mark Wadsworth said...

PC, do you think the right way to do this is the French way, which actually identifies and punishes, or the PC lefties ineffectual hand wringing?

John Tee said...

Of relevance?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/02/27/fgm-should-not-prosecuted-police-force-says-claims-best-course/

Mark Wadsworth said...

JT, that's the right way of upholding the law and respect for the law. You're not getting how to do political correctness, are you?

Mark Wadsworth said...

RM, correct on the first part but not on the second.

paulc156 said...

MW. The hand wringing lefty in me wonders whether France has got more wrong than right with regards it's ethnic communities...The libertarian in me can't escape that vision of witch-hunts from the 17thC.

Contact YPP said...

PC, would you happily repeal the law against FGM? What if some white parents happily chopped up their little girl's fanny? Would the libertarian part of you be happy with that? FFS.

Bayard said...

Both left and right like "political correctness". The politically correct left like it because it gives them an opportunity to tell other people how to behave. The right like it because it gives them a chance to demonise and ridicule the left, tarring them all with the same brush and, at the same time, to pour scorn on genuine attempts to trreat all people equally.

Political correctness will always be with us.

paulc156 said...

YPP. Let the law stand or strengthen it if needs be. Supply more resources if that's required in order to prevent FGM. The thought of snatch squads raiding homes across the land, or pouncing on those returning from summer holidays in order to carry out invasive physical examinations on young girls, without consent, might be considered a bit Orwellian by 'libertarian' inclined sites, but not this one apparently. Perhaps you can get appointed as FGM finder-general?

Mark Wadsworth said...

PC, wtf does "more resources" mean? We've been doing that for 30 years with precisely zero effect. Either you enforce a law properly if it's a good law or you repeal it if it's a bad law

L fairfax said...

Diane Abbott had a similar idea 3 years ago - no prosecutions in 30 years seems very ineffective - unless there has been no crime which is unlikely.

paulc156 said...

MW. Sometimes laws aren't enforced for a variety of reasons. If basically we know that thousands of cases are being reported by health authorities, that means the law is working to a large extent. Since we already know of thousands of these cases we don't need to send the 'snatch' squads round to terrify the kids (the small percentage of under 18's) who have already been abused and possibly traumatised by FGM nor those some enterprising 'bureaucrats'/FGMfinders might think prime suspects. Certain police forces have said they think prosecutions aren't appropriate in the vast majority of cases. They think education of parents and young adults is the best route. In any case, that fuckwit currently fronting UKIP probably knows all this but figures that in today's feverish climate UKIP can pick up a few extra votes in the sort of areas where immigration is the major concern of voters... voters who probably know none of this because that would entail a tiny bit of investigation. Still find it bizarre that on a site claimed to be libertarian, proposing that such draconian powers be handed to the state should be met with such equanimity let alone enthusiasm.

Mark Wadsworth said...

PC, if you think the law which makes FGM a criminal offence should be repealed, then say so. Of course inspections are ghastly, but perhaps the threat will be sufficient to deter it?

Also if some weird white English couple did this to their daughterwould you be as lenient on them? Try and take race or religion out of the equation for once.

Bayard said...

"Mandatory checks are already law in France,"

Once you accept the reality of the Nanny State, then it isn't too gross an intrusion into people's liberties to require parents to have their children checked over by a GP once a year. This doesn't have to be aimed at any particular group, it could apply to everyone. So you can strike the position of FGM-finder General off the vacancies list.

However, I doubt anyone would take up this idea, because it's fairly obvious that most of the pressure behind dealing with FGM is basically supplied by the neo-crusaders. They simply want to harry Muslims in the same way as the Tories want to harry the poor under the guise of "austerity". After all, where are the cries of outrage about MGM?

paulc156 said...

B. Oh you're right. Were an intimate examination of everyone's kids mandated there would be a cry so loud, no government would dare. And for sure most people aren't even libertarians, even the few who know what it means. Far more think the state should do everything, encourage this that and the other, think up new taxes and sort out the economy before tea time. This proposal only gets 'some' support because the subjects are deemed fair game by many.

I didn't mention MGM because really it's not a great analogy. It doesn't ruin your sex life for one and is less likely to lead to medical complications. I think the royal males have all had it done so you could argue it's patriotic?! Though frankly if more people knew just what happens in the religious circumcisions they would probably be raising a few eyebrows.

Bayard said...

"I didn't mention MGM because really it's not a great analogy. It doesn't ruin your sex life for one and is less likely to lead to medical complications."

Yes, but it still involves cutting bits off the private parts of children who have no say in the matter. I'm not saying that it is as bad as FGM, but there is AFAIAA, not even any murmuring against the practice. There's more fuss about the halal slaughter of animals.

paulc156 said...

No. You won't hear a peep because down that road lies the charge of anti-semitism and that's too big a deal.

Mark Wadsworth said...

PS, ta for depressing anecdotal evidence.

Bayard said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Bayard said...

"1. Circumcision of boys is a silly anachronism, but it does not cause lifelong discomfort etc."

Just because something is worse than something else, doesn't make that something else not bad. I'm not saying circumcision should be banned, I'm just saying that if people are objecting to FGM simply because it's an unpleasant an unnecessary practice, they should at least be saying something against circumcision, which is also unnecessary and unpleasant, albeit not to the same degree.

"And please stop being so bloody PC"

If I was being PC, I wouldn't raise the subject of circumcision, because white males are definitely right at the bottom in the victimhood poker pack. In any case what's so PC about suggesting everyone has to take their children to the doctor for an yearly check-up?(although the guilty parties will, as you point out, simply get a "dodgy MOT" for their daughters.)

The fact that a lot of Muslims are repressive misogynists doesn't alter the fact that much of the animus behind the campaign to get rid of FGM is because it's mainly Muslims who do it. It's called doing the right thing for the wrong reason. Beliefs are not responsible for the people who espouse them, e.g. despite the Bremoaners trumpeting in the Graun et al, the fact that a large number of Leave voters were motivated by xenophobia, if not stupid racism, makes absolutely no difference to the rights and wrongs of the case for Britain leaving the EU.

PS, It is hardly surprising that the families concerned would not wish to give evidence against their own members. I am slightly surprised that, given, the physical evidence available, that the lack of oral evidence was considered such a barrier. I mean they couldn't really claim she'd walked into a door, could they? It seems to me from what you say that the lack of prosecutions is nothing to do with not adopting heavy handed French ways of dealing with the problem, but simply a lack of a desire by the Establishment to do anything about it.