Published: June 27th, 2017 Updated: June 27th, 2017

ALMOST 3,000 GIRLS living in Ireland could be at risk of undergoing female genital mutilation.

FGM refers to the ritual cutting or removal of some or all of the external female genitalia. The practice is most common in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, and carried out for cultural or religious reasons.

Unicef data states that at least 200 million girls and women in 30 countries worldwide have undergone the extremely painful procedure.

Three women’s rights leaders were in Ireland this week to discuss how they are trying to stop FGM – also referred to as cutting – in their region.

An ActionAid study carried out in 2016 found that 2,639 girls living in Ireland may currently be at risk of undergoing the practice. Thousands more have undergone FGM before moving to Ireland.

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