Vaginal piercings to be classed as ‘illegal’ under new laws

The department of health in the UK has said that clitoral and labial piercings will be classed as being within an abusive context' under new laws.

Despite consenting, women who have had vaginal piercings for cosmetic reasons will now fall into the category as having been victim of female genital mutilation (FGM).

As well as vaginal piercings, vaginal surgery for ‘designer vaginas’ (including labia reduction surgery) will also be classed as FGM.

A spokesperson from the Department of Heath told the Mail Online: “While there are challenges in this area and adult women may have genital piercings, in some communities girls are forced to have them. The World Health Organisation has quite rightly defined this as a form of FGM.

“We are taking every precaution to record genital piercings that have been done within an abusive context.

“The new data collection will help build a picture of the scale and the nature of the problem we are facing. We are continually working on ways to improve and develop the NHS response to this terrible practice.”

FGM- which is a practice that many cultures around the world continue to adopt- is when a young girl’s clitoris is either cut or removed. In some cases, the labia is removed and sewn together, leaving a hole for urine and period blood.

The practice is illegal in the UK, but hundreds of girls each year are flown to countries where it is still common practice.