Bristol's NHS launches anti-female genital mutilation campaign

The latest campaign against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Bristol has been launched by the local NHS. Some 2,000 girls in the city are thought to be at risk of FGM, which can cause fatal blood infections, urinary incontinence and chronic pain.

It is illegal for British nationals or permanent residents to be taken to another country for the procedure.

However, girls are regularly taken abroad to undergo FGM during the summer months.

FGM is carried out in more than 28 countries, including those in Asia, the Middle East, and parts of Africa, including Somalia and Sudan.

According to the city council, Bristol is thought to have the UK's third largest Somali population, outside London and Birmingham. (...)