London: A Commons committee has called for a legislation to ban female genital mutilation and cosmetic surgery to create so called ‘designer vaginas’ for the under 18s. The call came after police told MPs they were unsure if the existing ban on FGM also covers doctors carrying out cosmetic surgery on young women wanting to alter their genitalia.
Figures show the number of female cosmetic surgeries, or labiaplasties, carried out by the NHS has rose five fold in nine years to reach 2,000 in 2010. But many more are carried out in private clinics which do not have to provide statistics to the Government.
Keith Vaz, chairman of the Commons home affairs select committee, said: “The law relating to female genital cosmetic surgery is ambiguous and must be clarified. We cannot tell communities in Sierra Leone and Somalia to stop a practice which is freely permitted on Harley Street.”
He added: “Just because it is done by cosmetic surgeons in private clinics does not mean it is something that should be allowed unless it is for medical reasons”.
Vaz said no one had any idea about how many under 18s had cosmetic surgery on their vaginas in private clinics with or without consent. The doctors are not going to report it, they are being paid to carry out the surgery.”
