FGM describes any deliberate, non-medical removal or cutting of female genitalia. It is illegal in the UK, but that doesn’t mean that girls are no longer at risk.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) define female genital mutilation as all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. In most practicing cultures FGM is strongly advocated and carried out by women against women down the generations motivated by tradition and the ideology of purity.

http://about-fgm.co.uk

http://forwarduk.org.uk

http://abcnews.go.com/US/fullpage/underground-america-female-genital-mutilation-undergroundfgm-31808869

https://www.actionaid.org.uk/donate/help-us-protect-girls-from-fgm

http://www.dofeve.org

http://tanzdevtrust.org/safe-house-and-training-centre-appeal

 

I almost hesitate to add this to the FGM awareness page, but there is a very thin line between FGM and labiaplasty

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-40410459