Fund-raising officer helps raise awareness of female genital mutilation

14 July 2021

A West Midlands detective has told of her passion for helping to raise awareness of female genital mutilation (FGM) and how she has raised thousands to help the cause.

DC Gill Squires, who has been with the Force for 28 years, started working in the Public Protection Unit (PPU) as policy lead for honour-based abuse, forced marriages and FGM back in 2009.

Inspired by The Divinity Foundation, an organisation she connected with to help gain a better understanding of her role, the mother-of-three has since been determined to educate others on FGM and has even climbed Kilimanjaro to raise funds to support victims.

“Meeting the team at The Divinity Foundation has completely changed my life,” says Gill, who first visited Kenya in 2016 to support the charity and had visited every year since, until Covid-19 prevented her from travelling.

“I didn’t realise the impact going to Kenya would have on me. It’s really hard to put into words but it was totally overwhelming.”

Her trip to Kenya came from an email that went around at work, asking if anybody wanted to climb Kilimanjaro, in neighbouring Tanzania and raise money for a charity of their choice.

Gill and a team of others, known as the ‘Peaky Climbers’, including fellow police officers, as well as medical professionals, scaled the mountain for The Divinity Foundation and managed to raise £15,000.

These funds paid for an extension for the rescue centre, which the charity named the ‘Peaky Hut’, which meant they can now support more girls, of which many are victims of FGM, a procedure that involves partial or total removal of external female genitalia.

“It just so happened that the charity’s rescue centre was also at the base of the mountain so we arranged to visit them while we were there,” added Gill, who was presented with an MBE by HRH Prince Charles in 2018, as recognition for her FGM work.

“We also spent time with the ‘cutters’, the women who carry out the FGM, so we could really understand what happened from a grassroots level perspective to bring back to the UK with me.”

Gill explains that while she is passionate about ending violence towards women and girls, it is crucially important to gain an understanding of why they do it.

She adds: “It’s not about us going into a community, pointing a finger and telling them what’s right and wrong. That’s not going to change anything. It’s about educating about the harmful, life-long implications and encouraging communities to change these practices from within. It’s about empowering them to end the practice themselves.”

Along with her passion for helping the charity, Gill says she has made life-long friends, for whom she is full of admiration.

“These girls, the victims, the survivors, have to live with this for the rest of their lives. It impacts them massively. The rescue centre encourages and empowers girls to have a voice, and to be heard. All the girls have career aspirations and indeed some of them are heading off to university, making something of themselves. They wouldn’t have that opportunity without The Divinity Foundation. The charity gives them so many opportunities,” she says.

Gill now dedicates her time to sharing her knowledge of FGM and passing it on to colleagues, professionals and members of the community.

“FGM is an issue in the UK, we know that,” she explains, “We’ve always known FGM is an issue in the West Midlands.

“The thing is, it’s hidden, and it’s cultural. We need to talk about it, safeguarding is everyone’s business. It’s not just about protecting the children, adults can also be at risk, and it’s also ensuring mum, who’s likely to be a victim in her own right, is supported.”

Gill continues to raise awareness of FGM, in hope that individuals will know where they can go for support.

“It’s all about supporting and empowering these girls and their parents, to say no,” Gill says, echoing the Government’s pledge to end FGM in a generation.

“We know there are cutters in the UK, this doesn’t just happen abroad. I’d like to encourage officers to talk to their communities, build a picture and help us identify and prosecute those perpetrating this abuse. Please don’t be afraid to tackle the issue.

“Together, we can end FGM.”