TWENTY new cases of female genital mutilation (FGM) have been reported in south Hampshire in the last year, figures show.

NHS Digital says they were reported between April 2016 and March 2017, 10 of which were in Southampton.

Of the figures, 10 were self-reported while five were disclosed after examination by a doctor at GPs surgeries across the county. A quarter of those reporting the FGM were aged 25 to 29.

However, despite widespread reporting there has never been a successful prosecution for the crime in the UK, a fact that has been branded a “national scandal” by politicians and the Home Affairs select committee.

Suella Fernandes, MP for Fareham, said: “Learning of the increase in new cases of this barbaric and backwards practice, that has no place in Britain, is deeply concerning.

“Stronger sanctions are needed to ensure that social workers, teachers and healthcare professionals alert the authorities when they suspect that a girl or women has undergone FGM. This needs to be coupled with stronger sentencing for those involved.”

UK-wide NHS statistics show 9,179 new cases were reported in 2016/17, up from 8,256 in 2015/16, an increase of 923.

Claire Chatwin, of the Southern Domestic Abuse Service, which provides services to women experiencing domestic abuse, said: “In the last three years, we have seen more communities willing to engage with us regarding this particular issue. People from a wide range of nations are affected by FGM.

“Women from seemingly happy and positive families are also affected by FGM – because their cultural and heritage traditions demand it.”

The news also follows Hampshire Constabulary’s campaign to raise awareness of FGM and domestic abuse, Speak Out Today, which encourage victims, abusers, friends and family to come forward and report it.

FGM has been illegal in the UK for almost 30 years and since 2003 it has also been illegal for UK citizens to take their child abroad to have FGM.