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Female Genital Mutilation a Risk for Some Girls in

Monday, November 19, 2007

According to new estimates by the group Forward, which is sponsoring a campaign to end female genital mutilation (FGM), up to 21,000 girls in Great Britain are at risk of undergoing the procedure. Most of these young girls are from African immigrant families, where the practice is common in their countries of origin. Forward believes many girls are taken out of the country to have the circumcision performed. Officials in Great Britain have outlawed the practice, and have even offered rewards for information that would lead to prosecution of persons arranging or performing FGM. So far, no one has been successfully prosecuted. Forward stresses the need for more information on the practice, increased involvement by schools to screen for at-risk girls, and overall an end to FGM being passed on to younger generations.

Compiled from: Williams, Rachel, “UK: 21,000 Girls at Risk of Genital Mutilation, Say Campaigners,” The Guardian, 10 October, 2007.

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