As many as 100,000 women in Britain have undergone female genital mutilations with medics offering to carry out the illegal procedure on girls as young as 10

The practice, which involves the surgical removal of external genitalia and in some cases the stitching of the vaginal opening, is illegal in Britain and carries up to a 14 year prison sentence. It is also against the law to arrange FGM. Known as "cutting", the procedure is traditionally carried out for cultural reasons and is widespread across Africa. It is thought to be needed as proof of a girl's "purity" for when she marries, but victims are rarely given anaesthetic and frequently suffer long-term damage and pain. Research suggests that every year up to 6,000 girls in London are at risk of the potentially fatal procedure, and more than 22,000 in Britain as a whole.