This House of Lords Library Briefing has been prepared in advance of the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, to be marked on 6 February 2019.
International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation: 6 February 2019 (174 KB , PDF)
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) comprises all procedures that involve altering or injuring the female genitalia for non-medical reasons. The International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM, observed annually on 6 February, aims to promote international awareness of, and encourage actions against, the practice.
This briefing provides a short introduction to FGM, before providing an overview of the prevalence of the practice globally and international initiatives aimed at stopping FGM within communities. The briefing then provides information on the incidence of FGM in the UK; sets out the legislative context for measures designed to deter FGM; and references recent parliamentary and government activity in relation to the issue.
International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation: 6 February 2019 (174 KB , PDF)
In 2024, the House of Lords established a committee to consider the prevention and consequences of preterm birth in England. This briefing provides a summary of the House of Lords Preterm Birth Committee findings, reactions to its report, and the government’s response, ahead of a debate in the House of Lords on 6 June 2025.
This proposed law would prevent sentencing guidelines setting out when a pre-sentence report should be obtained from being framed by reference to the personal characteristics of an offender such as race, religion or belief and cultural background.
The Community Security Trust, a UK charity that works to protect Jews from antisemitism and other threats, has reported a significant increase in antisemitic incidents on UK university campuses following the start of the current conflict in the Middle East. This briefing provides background information on the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism and its adoption by UK universities, before concluding with a summary of recent government policy to tackle antisemitism in the higher education sector.
