# What should schools know about honour-based abuse, FGM and forced marriage?

Source page: https://pupilprotect.co.uk/glossary/fgm  
Last updated: 2026-10-20  
Publisher: Pupil Protect (Glacier Labs Ltd)

> 'Honour'-based abuse covers crimes or incidents committed to protect or defend the perceived 'honour' of a family or community, including female genital mutilation (FGM) and forced marriage. Keeping children safe in education 2026 says all forms are abuse and staff should speak to the designated safeguarding lead (Annex A). FGM is different: under section 5B of the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003, a teacher who discovers that FGM appears to have been carried out on a girl under 18 must personally report it to the police.

## Honour-based abuse

KCSIE 2026 calls it "'honour' or faith-based abuse" (HBA). It covers incidents or crimes committed "to protect or defend the 'honour' of the family and/or the community", including FGM, forced marriage and practices such as breast ironing (Annex A).

Three things set it apart:

- **Several perpetrators.** It "often involves a wider network of family or community pressure and can include multiple perpetrators" (Annex A). The people a child would normally turn to may be part of the risk.
- **It is always abuse.** "All forms of HBA are abuse (regardless of the motivation) and should be handled and escalated as such" (Annex A).
- **Talking to the family can make it worse.** The forced marriage guidelines warn against mediation, family counselling or contacting the family before police or social care enquiries (section 8.1).

KCSIE lists being "at risk of 'honour' or faith-based abuse such as Female Genital Mutilation or Forced Marriage" among the reasons a child may need extra support (paragraph 18). It also says absence from school can be a warning sign of FGM, HBA or forced marriage (Annex A).

**If you're worried,** speak to the DSL or a deputy. The DSL will activate local safeguarding procedures with the police and children's social care (Annex A).

**New law, not yet in force.** Sections 143 and 144 of the Crime and Policing Act 2026 create the first statutory definition of honour-based abuse and let the government issue statutory guidance on it to public authorities. When we checked legislation.gov.uk on 20 October 2026, neither section had been brought into force and no guidance had been issued under them.

## FGM

FGM is "all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs". It is illegal in the UK and is child abuse (KCSIE Annex A). The multi-agency statutory guidance says it isn't required by any religion (chapter 2).

### Risk factors

The most significant factor is a family history of FGM (multi-agency guidance, Annex B). Others that school staff may notice include:

- a girl's mother, older sister or cousin has had FGM
- a girl talks about a "special procedure" or a special occasion to "become a woman"
- a girl talks about a long holiday to a country where FGM is common, or parents say they will take her abroad for a long period
- a girl asks a teacher for help because she thinks she is at risk
- a girl from a practising community is withdrawn from PSHE or RSHE
- a girl is unexpectedly absent from school
- the family won't engage with school or other professionals

Girls taken abroad for FGM are often taken at the start of the school holidays, especially the summer (Annex B). A girl at risk is a safeguarding concern for the DSL, not a case for the mandatory duty. Courts can make an **FGM protection order** to stop a girl being taken abroad, including by surrendering passports (section 3.3).

### Signs it may already have happened

The guidance lists difficulty walking, sitting or standing, spending a long time in the toilet, frequent urinary, menstrual or stomach problems, long periods out of class, and avoiding PE without a GP's letter (Annex B). Staff should never examine a pupil.

## The FGM mandatory reporting duty

Section 5B of the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003 has applied to teachers since 31 October 2015.

| | FGM reporting duty |
|---|---|
| **Who** | Teachers: people employed or engaged to carry out teaching work in schools and other institutions in England (section 5B(11)). Also health professionals, and social care workers in Wales. |
| **Trigger** | In the course of their work, the teacher *discovers* that FGM appears to have been carried out on a girl under 18, because she tells them, or because they see physical signs (sections 5B(3) and (4)). |
| **Not covered** | Suspicion or risk only, disclosure by a parent or someone else, and women aged 18 or over. Use normal safeguarding procedures for these (KCSIE Annex A; procedural information). |
| **To whom** | The police force for the area where the girl lives. The Home Office recommends calling **101**. |
| **When** | As soon as possible. Best practice is by the close of the next working day. The legal maximum is one month from discovery (section 5B(5)). |
| **Who reports** | The teacher personally. They need not report if they have reason to believe another teacher has already reported the same case (section 5B(6)). |
| **Failure** | Not a criminal offence, but it can lead to disciplinary action and, where relevant, a referral to the teaching regulator. |

KCSIE 2026 says the teacher should still discuss the case with the DSL and involve children's social care as appropriate, unless there is good reason not to (Annex A). Seeing signs will be rare: teachers "should not be examining pupils" (Annex A). The procedural information gives the example of a teacher helping a young child in the toilet or changing a nappy.

A new, separate duty to report child sexual abuse is in the Crime and Policing Act 2026, but it isn't in force yet. See [the mandatory reporting duty](https://pupilprotect.co.uk/guides/mandatory-reporting-duty).

## Forced marriage

A forced marriage is one entered into without the full and free consent of one or both people, where violence, threats or any other coercion is used. Some people can't consent, for example because of a learning disability. It is a crime in England and Wales (KCSIE Annex A).

Since **27 February 2023**, under the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022, it is also a crime to do anything intended to cause a child to marry before they turn 18, even without coercion. That includes unofficial, non-binding "marriages". The minimum age for marriage or civil partnership in England and Wales is now 18 (forced marriage statutory guidance).

### Warning signs in school

The statutory guidance lists (section 2.11):

- absence and persistent absence
- requests for extended leave, or not coming back from a visit abroad
- fear about the coming school holidays
- being watched by siblings or cousins at school
- a decline in behaviour, engagement, performance or punctuality
- not being allowed to attend extra-curricular activities
- a sudden engagement, often to a stranger
- being stopped from going on to further or higher education

### What to do

The guidelines describe a **"one chance" rule**: you may only get one chance to speak to a potential victim. Chapter 8 tells school staff to:

- tell the DSL straight away and make sure they speak to the pupil privately
- follow child safeguarding procedures with the police and children's social care if the pupil is under 18
- find out whether the pupil has dual nationality and may have two passports
- seek advice from the Forced Marriage Unit

And **not** to contact the family or community first, send the pupil home, act as a mediator, or take a pupil off roll without first referring to the police and social care.

## Contacts

- **Forced Marriage Unit:** 020 7008 0151, fmu@fcdo.gov.uk. Verified against GOV.UK and KCSIE 2026 on 20 October 2026.
- **FGM:** report known cases in girls under 18 to the police on 101. Call 999 if a girl is in immediate danger.
- **Childline:** 0800 1111, for pupils.

## Questions

**What is honour-based abuse?**  
KCSIE 2026 describes it as incidents or crimes committed to protect or defend the 'honour' of the family and/or the community, including female genital mutilation, forced marriage and practices such as breast ironing. It often involves wider family or community pressure and several perpetrators. KCSIE says all forms are abuse, whatever the motivation, and should be handled and escalated as such.

**What is the mandatory reporting duty for teachers in relation to FGM?**  
Under section 5B of the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003, a teacher who discovers in the course of their work that FGM appears to have been carried out on a girl under 18, because she tells them or because they see physical signs, must report it to the police. The teacher must make the report personally, within one month at most. Home Office procedural information recommends calling 101, ideally by the end of the next working day.

**Who should report FGM to the police?**  
The teacher, health professional or (in Wales) social care worker who discovers it. In schools, the teacher must report personally, not hand it to the DSL to do, though they should still discuss it with the DSL unless there is good reason not to. The duty doesn't apply where someone else, such as a parent, discloses it, or where FGM is suspected but not known; those cases go through normal safeguarding procedures.

**What age is FGM carried out?**  
It varies by community. The multi-agency statutory guidance says it may be carried out shortly after birth, during childhood or adolescence, just before marriage or during a first pregnancy. Girls of school age taken abroad for FGM are often taken at the start of the school holidays, particularly the summer, so that there is time to recover.

**Is forced marriage illegal in the UK?**  
Yes. Forcing someone to marry is a crime in England and Wales. Since 27 February 2023, it has also been a crime to do anything intended to cause a child to marry before they turn 18, even without threats or coercion, and the minimum age to marry or enter a civil partnership in England and Wales is 18. Schools can get advice from the Forced Marriage Unit on 020 7008 0151 or fmu@fcdo.gov.uk.

## Sources

- [Keeping children safe in education 2026 (DfE, in force from 1 September 2026): paragraphs 18 and 46, and Annex A, 'Honour' or faith-based abuse, FGM mandatory reporting duty for teachers, Forced marriage, and Children who are absent from education](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6ac3c09c11ed58342ad8e4ac/Keeping_children_safe_in_education_2026.pdf), checked 2026-10-20
- [Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003, section 5B: duty to notify police of female genital mutilation (legislation.gov.uk)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2003/31/section/5B), checked 2026-10-20
- [Mandatory reporting of female genital mutilation: procedural information (Home Office)](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mandatory-reporting-of-female-genital-mutilation-procedural-information), checked 2026-10-20
- [Multi-agency statutory guidance on female genital mutilation (HM Government, updated July 2020): sections 2.1, 3.3 and Annex B](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/multi-agency-statutory-guidance-on-female-genital-mutilation), checked 2026-10-20
- [Multi-agency statutory guidance for dealing with forced marriage and multi-agency practice guidelines (HM Government, March 2022, updated April 2023): sections 2.11 and 8](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-right-to-choose-government-guidance-on-forced-marriage), checked 2026-10-20
- [Forced marriage: Forced Marriage Unit contact details (GOV.UK)](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/forced-marriage), checked 2026-10-20
- [Crime and Policing Act 2026, sections 143 and 144: guidance about, and meaning of, honour-based abuse (legislation.gov.uk, not yet in force)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2026/20/section/144), checked 2026-10-20

## Related

- [The mandatory reporting duty](https://pupilprotect.co.uk/guides/mandatory-reporting-duty): How the FGM duty compares with the new child sexual abuse reporting duty.
- [Types of abuse and neglect](https://pupilprotect.co.uk/glossary/types-of-abuse)
- [Persistent and severe absence](https://pupilprotect.co.uk/glossary/persistent-absence)
- [Children not in school registers and home education](https://pupilprotect.co.uk/glossary/children-not-in-school-register)
- [Safeguarding concern form](https://pupilprotect.co.uk/tools/safeguarding-concern-form)