MP's Call For 'Robust Action' To Tackle Female Circumcision

A fear of being branded politically incorrect means police and social workers are not dealing with female genital mutilation properly in the UK, the International Development Committee has said.

The group of MPs have said that while £35m is being spent to help end the practice overseas, those efforts are being "undermined" in the UK.

Female genital mutilation, also know as female circumcision, is illegal in the UK but remains a cultural tradition in parts of Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

Ending sexual violence has been a key aim of the UK while holding the presidency of the G8 and anti-violence campaigns are being funded in over 20 countries.

But a report from the IDC has cautioned that the UK's credibility in calling for an end to the practice is suffering by an inability to deal with the problem in the UK.

The committee has called for "robust action … to counter political correctness and address culturally sensitive practices."

(MH/CD)