FGM is a human rights abuse, says Lord Mayor of London Fiona Woolf

The Lord Mayor of London today joined the fight against female genital mutilation, condemning it as an abuse of human rights.

Fiona Woolf, only the second female Lord Mayor, said London had a duty to raise awareness of the issue and to safeguard society.

In a speech at the City’s annual International Women’s Day breakfast, she said: “This is a crucial human rights issue affecting children and adult women. It is a violent abuse of women and we must do everything in our power to end it.

“Let’s work together to abolish FGM and end its damaging effect on women’s proper role — contributing as equals in their own communities and economies.”

She praised charities working to end FGM and forced marriage, adding: “London is a global City with global concerns, and across the world millions of women are being excluded from economic self-determination. These human rights abuses cause misery.”

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