The United Kingdom's Muslim community is now facing a new challenge. More young girls have become victims of female genitalia mutilation or otherwise known as FGM. The national government is quite alarmed and is equipping their local workers to be able to spot who might have undergone the process of FGM. 

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The rising rate of FGM was revealed in a BBC report. Though FGM has been banned since 1985, about 137,000 young girls are confirmed to have undergone the FGM process. These poor young girls have become prey to a disheartening religious belief that once the outer part of the female genitalia has been cut off, they will become more morally righteous and grow up to become virtuous wives to their husbands.

England and Wales have the most number of victims. Surprisingly, many of the victims' residences are London, considered as a very modern and progressive place. 

Karen Bradley, the minister in charge for this unacceptable abuse directed towards very young girls told the BBC that they have recently increased their efforts in reaching out to the isolated and very closed knit Muslim communities in England and Wales. 

SKY News released a staggering figure that in Southwark, London, there is one out of every 20 women who has been through FGM. That is by far, the highest percentage in a single community, where Muslims have been predominantly present. Also, mothers who have undergone FGM are most likely going to ask their own daughters to undergo the painful procedure that they have gone through.

In London, Brent was the next place with the highest prevalence of FGM. Victims usually describe extreme "waves of pain" after the procedure has been done to them. The World Health Organization defines FGM as a procedure that partially or fully removes the external female genitalia. 

Hibo Wardere, an active campaigner against FGM narrates to The Belfast Telegraph about her own FGM experience. She says that the feeling was quite horrible, she saw her own mother bringing the razors for the cutting of her private parts to begin. Wardere also mentioned how difficult the first 12 days after the procedure was for her, since she was only being fed with a little water, for the pain to leave her body faster. She was just six year old at the time of the mutilation.

The UK government gave more seminars and training to their local authorities on how to spot those who might possibly be victims of FGM. According to the data gathered, most of the victims have families that have migrated from Afghanistan and Somalia. 

Tagsfemale genitalia mutilation, FGM, FGM young girls, FGM in England, FGM in Wales, FGM in the United Kingdom