FORWARD (THE FOUNDATION FOR WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT)

22 June 2008

Police in the UK are to stage high-profile checks on flights to a number of African states in an attempt to stop young girls being taken abroad to be forcibly mutilated with the consent of their parents.

Research commissioned by the Department of Health suggests that more than 20,000 British girls are at risk of being forced into the agonising procedure, where all or part of their external genitals are cut off and stitched up. Officers will question all adults taking girls on certain flights, believing it is their best chance of saving thousands of children from female genital mutilation at the hands of tribal "elders" called in by their own families.

Moves to tackle the culturally sensitive issue will come as ministers from several government departments struggle to stamp out the ancient tribal tradition amid evidence that thousands of British girls are at risk from a ritual that is supposed to mark their transition into womanhood.

Forward UK estimates that around 11,000 British-based girls aged between nine and 15 have undergone the ritual – in the UK or in their parents' home countries.





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