A woman and child have been banned from travelling abroad, to avoid the risk of female genital mutilation (FGM).

On Thursday, Sheffield Family Court gave police the go-ahead to issue FGM protection orders to protect “a victim and a potential victim”.

A total of eight FGM protection orders have been granted to South Yorkshire Police since they were introduced in 2015.

Police said the two had been identified during an ongoing investigation.

The orders allow police to “prevent them from being taken out of the UK and into a situation where they could be at greater risk”, a South Yorkshire Police spokesperson said.

FGM, also termed female circumcision, is illegal in the UK and carries a sentence of up to 14 years in jail.

The term refers to any procedure that alters or injures the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.

Det Sgt Suzanne Jackson, of South Yorkshire Police, said: “The effectiveness of these orders has enabled us to safeguard victims and potential victims, and further prevent the detrimental and devastating long-term effect they could and may have been subjected to.”

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-42030739