THE BIGGEST STORIES ACROSS BRISTOL IN YOUR INBOX SIGN UP Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

A 10-year-old girl from Bristol was detained by police at a London airport because of fears she was at risk of female genital mutilation (FGM).

The Bristol girl was due to fly from London to Djibouti on Thursday (June 27) and is now the subject of an FGM protection order, the BBC reports.

Her mum told the BBC the family were "treated like criminals" and they had "done nothing wrong"

She said: "Why do I have to tell them where I am going? Why? We have no freedom of movement. We have done nothing wrong. I'm not going to send my daughter to an unsafe place.

"I have a sister who is five years younger than me and she hasn't had FGM and she is a mum now, she has daughters and even my nieces they haven't had any FGM so I wasn't even thinking of that."

A Bristol City Council spokesman told the BBC: "Our commitment continues to be one where we put the safety of children and families first but to do so in an inclusive fashion supported by open dialogue.

"Agencies remain in communication with the family impacted by this case, and will continue to be so, to explain the action taken and the reasons why."

Being taken out of school just before the summer holidays can be a warning sign because it is a time when FGM risk is heightened.

What is FGM?

According to the charity Desert Flower Foundation, FGM is:

"A destructive operation, during which the female genitals are partly or entirely removed or injured with the aim of inhibiting a woman’s sexual feelings.

Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now

"Most often the mutilation is performed before puberty, often on girls between the age of four and eight, but recently it is increasingly performed on babies who are only a couple of days, weeks or months old."