Across the nation, young girls are being mutilated in a brutal and barbaric practice that most Australians struggle to comprehend.

More than 120,000 migrant women in Australia have suffered genital mutilation - a brutal religious practice common in Islamic populations in Africa, South America, parts of Asia and the Middle East.

There is no data held on how widespread female genital mutilation is in Australia, but 7.30 has spoken to women who are voicing their concerns despite the fear of rejection from their communities.

The genital mutilation is carried out by women on girls between the age of four and 10.

It is a crime in Australia and is not sanctioned by the Koran; nonetheless, it is happening behind closed doors.

7:30 understands the women chosen to do the cutting often do not have any medical qualifications, with the procedures being carried out in people's homes using crude surgical implements.

The procedure can range from a small cut to a girl's clitoris to the entire removal of the genitals.

In extreme cases the wound is sewn up to leave only one opening - the size of a matchstick - for urination and menstruation.

'Clandestine practice'

Imam Afroz Ali, one religious leader prepared to break the silence, says female genital mutilation is a "clandestine practice".

"I have had people mention it has happened to themselves, it's happened to members of their family or they are aware this is happening in Australia," he said.

It is also common for the women doing the cutting to charge a fee for their services.

"The figure could be around $2,000 to $3,000... the reality is that they are not qualified at all," Mr Ali said.

"These are women from a village who have migrated to Australia and have access to a razor blade and are considered to be an elder or wise person in their community."

Zarine, who moved to Australia six years ago, comes from a Muslim sect known as the Dawoodi Bohras, who originate in India.

In India, female genital mutilation is called traditional cutting.

Zarine was five when her grandmother told her they were going to the market. Instead, she was taken to a house where she was pinned down and mutilated.

"There were about three other women there - they were sitting and chatting. They were from the same community because they were speaking the same language," she said.

"They asked me to take my underwear off ... I just wanted to run out of there. I knew there was something going to happen to me.

"I don't know if it was two of the women or just one. She pinned me down with her legs pretty much and I had my legs wide open and one of them was holding my hands behind me.

"I don't remember seeing anything but after that I felt a very sharp pain. I still remember that. I still remember that pain."

Mutilation charges

Five weeks ago, New South Wales police arrested and charged eight people with the alleged genital mutilation of two girls in Sydney and Wollongong in the past 18 months.

The arrests followed an anonymous tip to the office of the NSW Child Protection Minister, Pru Goward.

"The secrecy which with this is carried out makes it very difficult for police to collect evidence," Ms Goward said.

"It is unlikely that this is an isolated incident."

The eight people arrested all belong to the Dawoodi Bohra community in New South Wales.

The identities of all those arrested have been suppressed except for one - Kubra Magennis, a 68-year-old retired nurse.

There are fears the practice of female genital mutilation spreads much wider than this one case suggests.

In September, West Australian police arrested and charged a couple with female genital mutilation after they allegedly took their daughter to Bali for a traditional cutting ceremony.

7:30 has also been told that girls are being mutilated in the town of Katanning, 200 kilometres south of Perth, home to a large Malaysian Muslim population.

Transforming lives

At the Royal Women's Hospital in Melbourne, a discreet clinic is transforming lives by reversing extreme forms of female genital mutilation.

The clinic sees around 25 women every month.

Through family planning officers like Zeinab Muhamed, the broader aim in Victoria is to break the cycle of mothers subjecting their daughters to the procedure.

People tell Ms Muhamed that female genital mutilation is a cultural practice that is hard to move away from.

They say it is women who are pushing it.

"When they tell their story, it's heartbreaking. These women have been through an experience that we can't even imagine," Ms Muhamed said.

"They spend days after the procedure when they can hardly urinate. Their legs may have been tied together so the labia actually fuses together."

'Torture'

One woman who spoke to 7.30, Samira, has been surgically reopened.

She says women in Victoria are being stitched closed again after they have given birth even though it is a criminal offence.

Samira says female genital mutilation is "torture".

"I was told whether I wanted to be stitched back up or not and I refused, and [my midwife] said some women insist on being stitched back, so I was quite surprised," she said.

Samira is strongly against the cutting of young girls but says not everyone in her community agrees.

"I think that a lot of people would still like to do it... they've been brainwashed by their families [who say] 'it's good for you, it's important, it's part of our culture'," she said.

"It all depends on the culture, the family, the religion background.

"It's very sensitive and it's hard, but you can't convince everybody to [think like you do]."