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 The government, which is hosting a London summit on FGM and forced
marriage, will also announce a range of other measures aimed at
bringing an end to both practices in Britain and abroad, Cameron's
office said in a statement.
This will include 1.4 million pounds ($2.4 million) of funding for
an FGM prevention program in Britain, new laws that would see
parents prosecuted if they fail to prevent their daughter undergoing
FGM, and programs to prevent child and forced marriage in 12
developing countries.
"I'll make reporting FGM mandatory for doctors, teachers and social
workers. Let's end this abhorrent practice once and for all,"
Cameron said on Twitter.
FGM, the partial or total removal of external female genitalia, is a
tradition practiced widely in African and many Muslim countries and
often justified as a means of suppressing a woman's sexual desire to
prevent "immoral" behavior.
Around 103,000 women aged between 15 and 49, and another 10,000
girls aged under 15 who have migrated to England and Wales are
estimated to have undergone FGM, according to a report on Tuesday
from City University London.
Britain also plans an international charter calling for the
eradication of FGM and forced marriage within a generation, and the
government said Tuesday's summit, being attended by 500 delegates
from 50 countries, would aim to secure new commitments from the
private sector, faith leaders and governments.
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FGM has been a criminal offense in the UK since 1985 but new
legislation in 2003 introduced a maximum prison sentence of 14
years. The 2003 act also made it an offense for British citizens to
carry out or procure FGM abroad, even in countries where the
practice is legal.
Earlier this year a doctor became one of two men to face trial in
the UK's first prosecution for FGM.
(Reporting by Kylie MacLellan; Editing by Catherine Evans)
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