A DORSET woman who is a survivor of female genital mutilation has urged people to contact the NSPCC Helpline about the illegal practice.

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a procedure where the female genitals are deliberately cut, injured or changed, but there's no medical reason for this to be done.

It is usually carried out on young girls and has been a criminal offence in the UK for 34 years. In 2003 it also became a criminal offence for UK nationals or permanent UK residents to take their child abroad to have FGM.

Victims can suffer from constant pain, infertility, mental health problems, life-threatening problems during pregnancy, and even death from loss of blood.

Since its launch in June 2013, the NSPCC's dedicated FGM helpline has received 2,747 calls, with more than 500 calls being so serious they were referred to external agencies.

Dorset resident and FGM survivor Salimata Badji-Knight said she wished there was a helpline when she was younger to help with all the things she went through.

Salimata was told she was going on holiday to Senegal to visit relatives. Towards the end of the visit she, and other girls in the village, were gathered together for a picnic in the forest.

She said: "It was the old women of the community that performed this ritual, with their old-fashioned views of continuing these ancient practices to preserve tradition.

"I didn’t know what was happening but I was so hurt. There was no anaesthetic, I bled and passed out. I had never seen blood like that before.

"It was not discussed in school. When I was a teenager and doing athletics, girls would talk about boys and one day I realised that they had not been circumcised like me.

"My friends started crying when I told them. It was mind blowing and I was so angry."

According to NHS statistics, there have been 500 recorded cases of FGM in the South West of England.

Kam Thandi, head of NSPCC Helpline, said FGM endangers life: “It takes a lot of courage to speak out knowing that those you love could be investigated, or you could be shunned, so it’s no surprise that female genital cutting is cloaked in secrecy.

"However, this is child abuse, it violates the rights of the child, and we need more people in communities to join forces to ensure this dangerous practice is ended once and for all.”

Anyone worried about someone who has suffered, or is at risk of, FGM can call the NSPCC for free and anonymously on 0800 028 3550 or email fgmhelp@nspcc.org.uk.