The UK government is to invest £50m in an attempt to end female genital mutilation by 2030, claiming it is the biggest single investment to tackle the issue by an international donor.
The money, announced on Friday, will go to grassroots programmes working to stop the practice across Africa, where prevalence is highest. Penny Mordaunt, international development secretary, said the investment was key to also ending FGM in the UK.
“Inspirational, courageous African women are leading efforts to end the practice in their own countries, and thanks to them, more communities are starting to abandon the practice.
“But progress is at a critical juncture and we must work to protect the millions of girls that are still at risk of being cut. We also can’t end FGM in the UK without ending it globally.”