The past two decades has seen an increase in interest on the issue of FGM, largely due to the influx of migrant communities coming from countries where FGM is practiced to host countries in the United Kingdom. There is currently a large migrant population of almost 600,000 Africans, which means that FGM needs to be addressed as an issue in several areas, including health, education, social care and asylum in addition to others. Research undertaken by FORWARD in 2007 estimates that there are nearly 66,000 women living with FGM in England and Wales and 21,000 girls under the age of eight who were estimated to be at risk of FGM. The media has played a pivotal role in popularizing the issue of FGM, although sadly sometimes in a negative manner, thus affecting communities who currently form an integral part of the UK population.
