In the 1980s I lived briefly on an Egyptian oasis as a house guest of a mixed Christian/Moslem family; during my stay their 7 year old daughter was subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM). I had pleaded with them not to carry out the abuse and told them that such things never happen in Britain. How wrong I was. the UK is now considered to be the FGM capital of Europe.
There are undoubtedly strong links between FGM and some immigrant communities but other factors impact greatly on the lack of preventative action in the UK. FGM was used by some British doctors in the late 19th century and first half of the 20th to treat women and girls who considered 'wayward' or lesbian. so the abusive logic clearly goes deeper than a few 'foreign cultures.' The purpose of FGM is always the same; to keep women subservient to men and remove their sex drive.
Currently the British Government are spending #millions to reduce FGM in Africa but just a few thousand to protect little British girls from this fate.
What a wonderful gift it would be this International Women's Day if the Government would commit to effective action to protect our girls and allow them the future fulfilment that nature intended.