Barnardo’s has been blasted after using a photo of a white girl in a warning about female genital mutilation.
Around 20,000 British girls a year are thought to be at risk of the barbaric practice, with those from African or Middle Eastern families most likely to suffer.
Barnardo’s told its 249,000 Twitter and Facebook followers the danger was “particularly prevalent during school holidays”, when kids were taken abroad to have it done.
The charity linked to an article highlighting “signs a girl may be at risk” but illustrated its message with the white girl’s image.
Outraged users accused Barnardo’s of diluting its warning by apparently overlooking one of the biggest signs — ethnicity.
Ukip MEP Patrick O’Flynn said the charity was “obscuring” the facts with political correctness.
And Lisa Robson said: “This image is disingenuous to the majority of girls who undergo this. Are you trying to save children or merely push a PC agenda?”
Communities that perform FGM are found across Africa, the Middle East and Asia. It is most prevalent in Somalia, Guinea, Djibouti and Sierra Leone.
The procedure sees genitals cut, changed or injured with no medical reason. It is illegal to perform it in the UK or to take a girl abroad to get it.
Around 8,600 victims are identified by the NHS each year, but nobody has been successfully prosecuted.
Some Barnardo’s supporters vowed to stop donating due to the photo.
The charity said: “FGM doesn’t affect just one community or one religion so we use different images to convey this.
“Regardless, we are truly sorry for any upset caused.”