Ivana Bacik (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for her reply, in particular for acknowledging the work of AkiDwA and the Irish Family Planning Association. I was at the launch of the specialist clinic, which was very important.

I wish to make three brief points in response. First, I am aware of the difficulty with crime statistics, and AkiDwA has raised the matter with me. We need to change the way crime statistics are reported to ensure we can identify how many instances of FGM are reported in any one year. I ask the Minister of State to follow up the matter with the Central Statistics Office and the Garda and I will do so as well. It is unacceptable that we do not know how many cases of FGM there are and that we are reliant on media reports.

Second, the funding the Minister of State pointed out is provided to AkiDwA is a very small amount. Given that, as the Minister of State acknowledged, there is no specific training relating to dealing with FGM, there is a real need for more resources to be provided to organisations like AkiDwA, particularly to enable them to engage not only in community education but also the education and training of health professionals and front-line workers, especially in the HSE and Garda to which reports of FGM will be made. I ask that the Minister of State might consider further resourcing AkiDwA.

Third, I am glad that the HSE will develop a second national intercultural health strategy that will include a reference to FGM. We also need a second national action plan on FGM. That is the sort of focus we need to ensure this practice does not happen again in Ireland.