The threat of female genital mutilation (FGM) in the heavily migrant-populated Seine-Saint-Denis area in the suburbs of Paris could affect as many as 30 per cent of the children in the area, according to a French sociologist.

French sociologist and director of the Group for the Abolition of Sexual Mutilation (GAMS), Isabelle Gillette-Faye has claimed that the prevalence of FGM in the suburbs of Paris, often referred to as no-go areas, in the Île-de-France region are concerning.

Gillette-Faye said that the practice often involved much older children than in other regions of the world where FGM occurs in an interview with the region’s official website.

“In general, they undergo mutilations of type 2, that is to say, the removal of the clitoris and labia minora,” Gillette-Faye said.

The sociologist added that in France many victims are forced to go overseas to have the operation, often before they are forced into marriages.

In order to combat the spread of FGM, Gillette-Faye and her group GAMS, have been able to train medical practitioners and social workers to identify cases and work with authorities.

“We will be relieved when we have left circumcision two to three generations behind us. Families living in France are often resistant, as social and traditional pressures are very strong, and it is often the family remaining in the [original] country that decides.”

Female Genital Mutilation is a "nuanced" crime 😡 https://t.co/jb8qKd3cCJ — Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) January 19, 2018

FGM has become a recognised issue across the Western world in recent years as the number of cases has exploded. In the UK, the number of cases is so high that last year a case was discovered or treated every hour.

Earlier this month, many celebrated “FGM Awareness Day” in order to highlight the problem. Surrey Police chose to spend the day on social media, not highlighting the problem of genital cutting, but rather investigating Twitter users for “Islamophobic tweets”.

In Ireland, doctor and Muslim scholar Ali Selim fully endorsed a form of the practice earlier this week saying: “I’m not an advocate of female genital mutilation but I am an advocate of female circumcision.”