THL: 10,000 girls and women in Finland have undergone FGM Finland’s public health watchdog THL says 3,000 girls risk undergoing the procedure, which involves removal of all or some of the external female genitalia.

November 23, 2018   

(Yle) There are currently as many as 3,000 girls in Finland who face the risk of being subjected to female genital mutilation or FGM, according to an analysis released by the National Institute for Health and Welfare on Friday.

The THL data indicate that more than 10,000 girls and women resident in Finland have undergone the procedure. FGM is mostly carried out on young girls between infancy and the age of 15, according to the World Health Organisation.

“In addition there are another estimated 650 to 3,000 girls living in Finland who are at risk of circumcision,” said THL specialist Mimmi Koukkula of the agency’s children and families unit. However, she noted that officials do not believe girls have had the procedure carried out in Finland, rather they have been sent abroad for it.

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