FORWARD's Annual Conference- Moving FORWARD

1 Feb 1999

In February this year, FORWARD held its annual conference, MOVING FORWARD, which 150 people attended. It was a time to review and provide feedback on FORWARD's developments during the past year together with the work of other organisations working towards the elimination of FGM in the UK.

Presentations of the social and cultural explanations of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), and news on the latest research on FGM in the UK were given in the morning. The following presentations then focused on the effective and powerful work of various projects around the country working to stop the practice, including the gynaecological services available in the African Well Women Clinics for women who have suffered the effects of FGM.

The afternoon was spent identifying the training and education needs of the community and professionals working with them. From this, the FORWARD FGM Strategy Group was created, working on the development of educational materials (see page 1). Over all it was a productive and informative day, concluding that there is still further work to be done in the UK to achieve the aim of the elimination of FGM.