After working to get female genital mutilation (FGM) onto the child protection agenda for over 20 years in the UK, I am pleased that it is finally being officially considered a key child safeguarding issue

FGM involves the partial or complete removal of female external genitalia and, aside from its potential lifelong physical and psychological risks, is a gross violation of the human rights of the girl child.

Despite sustained efforts to discourage it, FGM continues to be practised on girls in the UK. An estimated 24,000 girls in England and Wales alone are at risk of undergoing FGM, but the real number is likely to be significantly higher than this.

Though female genital mutilation is against the law in the UK, there are over 20,000 girls in England and Wales alone who are at risk and this is considered an underestimate, yet not a single person has ever been prosecuted for this crime.

Having seen many examples of child abuse in my 15 years of experience as a personal injury lawyer, I can tell you that victims expect and deserve to be treated the same, regardless of the race or religion of those responsible for their suffering. Would we really expect anything different?