CAMPAIGNERS against female genital mutilation (FGM) in Oxfordshire have backed a new information app for health professionals launched by a local nurse.

The 'Let's Talk FGM' iPad app, which went live on September 8, contains a wealth of information on the cultural practice, also known as female circumcision.

Survivors in the county will be able to use it to get help and support while others can learn more about why FGM happens, the law and how to protect children from it.

Mbakaddy Touray, an FGM survivor who features in the app talking about her experience as a child in Gambia, said: “FGM causes real hurt, and we bear that hurt throughout our lives since we were children. We don’t want our children to go through the same thing.”

Joanne McEwan, a public nurse at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, created the programme after regularly meeting survivors in her work as a health visitor.

She said: "It is a difficult subject to discuss. I wanted to produce something that could help health professionals enquire sensitively about FGM."

The app includes key information on FGM, which involves the ritualistic cutting of female external genitalia and is practised in parts of Africa and the Middle East.

It has content in Somali, Swahili, Arabic in both Egyptian and Sudanese dialects, Tagrinya, which is spoken in Eritrea, and Madinka, spoken in Gambia and West Africa.

The tradition is illegal in the UK but affects about 137,000 girls and women in the country. At least five new cases have been recorded in Oxfordshire since April.

Ms McEwan added: "FGM is a form of abuse. It is a violation of human rights and children’s rights. It is a form of violence against women and girls, and women and girls from communities where FGM might be practised deserve protection, just like anyone at risk of abuse or violence.

"Ultimately, my aim is that the app will help remove uncertainties, providing practical and current guidance for both clients and professionals."

Funding for the app came from the Mary Seacole Leadership Award, which recognises outstanding work in the black and minority ethnic community.

While it was developed campaigners from local group Oxford Against Cutting found it would also be a useful tool for survivors.

Let's Talk FGM is now available for free from the Apple app store.