New victims of female genital mutilation seen by NHS services in Northamptonshire

The figures show the ongoing scale of the challenge to fight FGM across the UK, where thousands of new cases were recorded, shortly after the first person to be convicted was jailed.

NHS Digital figures show that victims of FGM – where female genitals are cut, injured or changed for no medical reason – in Northamptonshire were seen by NHS Services on at least 50 appointments in 2018.

Of those, at least 36 were having their injuries recorded by doctors, nurses or midwives for the first time.

In areas where few cases were reported, exact numbers have been obscured to prevent identification.

Across England, there were more than 8,500 appointments for women and girls with FGM at NHS services over the 12-month period, with nearly 4,000 having their injuries recorded for the first time.

While concentrated on larger cities across England, the new figures surprisingly show that cases are also found in the country’s smaller towns and rural regions.

The NSPCC estimates that 137,000 people living in the UK are victims of FGM.