Coventry University develops first ever FGM app
RESEARCHERS at Coventry University have created a new app, endorsed by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), to help protect young girls and women from female genital mutilation (FGM).
Funded by donations from the Pamela Barlow, Eleanor Rathbone and 1970 Charitable Trusts, the free to use app called ‘Petals’ is the first of its kind to be developed in the UK.
Female genital mutilation, which is sometimes called female genital cutting, female circumcision or sunna refers to procedures that intentionally alter or cause injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. The practice has been illegal in the UK since 1985 but is a growing problem across the country.
At a local level, Coventry City Council has been working with health professionals, members of affected communities and other stakeholders on a formal pledge to end the practice within the city and its surrounding areas. It is the first and only local government authority to take an integrated approach to tackling FGM and a full council motion to condemn the practice has been supported.
It is anticipated that the new app, developed jointly by Coventry University’s Centre for Communities and Social Justice (CCSJ) and its Centre for Excellence in Learning Enhancement (CELE), will prove to be a valuable resource in the fight against FGM.
The app, which works across most mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets and laptops via an internet browser, is aimed primarily at young girls living in affected communities and at risk from FGM. It can also be used as an educational tool to teach young people and others the facts and realities of FGM.
The app’s content includes information about FGM, personal stories from those who have been affected, links to educational films, a quiz and tips on how to get involved in campaigning to end the practice. It also provides details of where those affected or at risk can go to get help and advice and it enables users to access the NSPCC’s National FGM Helpline at the touch of a button.
Maintaining personal confidentiality and safeguarding potentially vulnerable users was integral to the app’s design and it has been developed with built in privacy features.
The developers trialled the app with pupils at the Sidney Stringer Academy in Coventry to ensure the content, language, look, feel and functionality was appropriate amongst those of similar age to many of the intended audience.
Professor Hazel Barrett from Coventry University’s Centre for Communities and Social Justice played a significant role in the development of the app.
She said: “It’s an unpleasant reality that FGM is being carried out in the UK and we have to tackle this problem head on. Education and prevention are the best long-term ways of combating the practice so we’re pleased to have developed this new app, which we believe has the potential to help girls and women within the region and across the country who are under the threat of, or living with the consequences of FGM.”
The Petals app is available to download at http://petals.coventry.ac.uk.
