After receiving complaints about its “strategy to protecting young people,” the charity watchdog launched an investigation into the transgender organisation Mermaids last night.
A “regulatory compliance case” was started by the Charity Commission in response to allegations that Mermaids had been sending girls breast-flattening devices behind their parents’ backs.
The organization supports young people who are transitioning to a new gender. According to The Daily Telegraph, the devices were given to females as young as 13 and have been known to result in fractured ribs, severe back discomfort, breathing problems, and alterations to the spine.
According to a media inquiry, the personnel at Mermaids consented to covertly deliver a “breast binder” to a girl they thought was just 14 years old after being repeatedly assured that her mother would not let her to use one.
The Charity Commission has now acknowledged that it has begun an investigation after stating earlier this week that it was evaluating the accusations. “Concerns have been raised with us concerning Mermaids’ approach to protecting young people,” a spokeswoman stated.
“We have written to the trustees and filed a case for regulatory compliance.” We are presently awaiting their response.
Breast ironing, sometimes known as breast flattening, was deemed child abuse by the Metropolitan Police.
‘Young girls’ breasts are injured over time to flatten them and postpone their growth,’ it said on its website. A binder or elastic belt may sometimes be utilized, it was further said, to prevent their growth.
The police responded in response to news this week: “Supplying a breast binder is not a crime on its own. However, if a specific instance of a person wearing a breast binder or engaging in the practice of breast ironing is reported to the police, it will be examined as probable child abuse in conjunction with social services.
No matter the culture or community, the same strategy would be used.
We have received a letter from the Charity Commission and will answer as soon as possible, a Mermaids spokeswoman said. At this time, we won’t be providing any more commentary. ‘We have heard from parents, teachers, and therapists who are worried about the practices of Mermaids, and we would urge them to write directly to the Charity Commission and offer proof of their worries,’ said Maya Forstater, co-founder of the Sex Matters advocacy group.
Susie Green, the chief executive of Mermaids, is said to have lately received more than £500,000 from the National Lottery and donations totaling more than £20,000 from the taxpayers. Breast ironing “should be prosecuted as a form of child abuse,” the Crown Prosecution Service said in its 2019 update to its breast ironing recommendations.
At the time, CPS representative Jaswant Narwal stated: “Our message is clear: breast-ironing is child abuse.”
“The practice causes substantial harm to young girls and has the potential to permanently harm both their physical and emotional health.” Although this abuse often takes place in a familial environment, the CPS is clear that when real injury to a girl happens, regardless of permission, a crime is committed. Consenting to severe attack is impossible.
The technique, which is considered a kind of female mutilation, is widespread in Cameroon, for instance, as families there wish to stop boys showing girls unwelcome sexual attention.
The commission’s probe comes as Mermaids works to have the LGB Alliance’s charity registration removed, which advocates for the rights of gay, lesbian, and bisexual people.
According to Mermaids, this practice excludes transgender persons and aims to “undermine the fight for transgender rights.”