An estimated 137,000 women and girls in England and Wales are living with the effects of FGM, and an estimated 65,000 girls may be at risk
LONDON, June 11 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A cartoon film aimed at raising public awareness of female genital mutilation (FGM) ahead of Britain's summer school holidays, when girls are at increased risk of being cut, was launched in Britain on Thursday.
The animation, developed by London-based charity FORWARD and Animage Films, depicts a girl having her ears, nose and mouth cut and sewn in ways similar to that of FGM.
FGM involves the total or partial removal of the clitoris and external genitalia. In extreme cases the vaginal opening is sewn closed.
An estimated 137,000 women and girls in England and Wales are living with the effects of FGM, and an estimated 65,000 girls may be at risk of the ritual practised by some ethnic minority communities.
"The aim of 'Needlecraft' is to offer a more visual way to invoke passion and action," Naana Otoo-Oyortey, director of FORWARD, said in a statement.
"As we approach the summer season when girls will be most at risk, this is a timely opportunity to alert people that FGM is still a hidden form of abuse."
British security forces say some girls are at risk of being cut when their parents take them abroad during school holidays to visit extended family.
They may be taken at the start of the school break to allow time for their wounds to heal by the time they return home, according to police.
Since 2003, it has been illegal to take a girl abroad for FGM and Border Force officers have stepped up education and surveillance of airline passengers flying to and from countries which practise FGM, such as Kenya, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.
Worldwide more than 130 million girls and women have undergone FGM, according to United Nations data.
The animation is restricted to 16-year-olds and older, but its producers are planning to release a version suitable for primary schools later this year, together with another version for Tanzania and other African countries. (Reporting by Magdalena Mis, Editing by Alex Whiting; Please credit Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, corruption and climate change. Visit www.trust.org)
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