An outraged mother has called for a ban on circumcision after a doctor performed the operation on her young son without her consent.

The 29-year-old mother from Nottingham said her child was in so much pain that he couldn't wear a nappy and claims he could have died during the unwanted operation.

She claims that 'nobody really gets' the issue with circumcision and points out there are laws protecting girls from female genital mutilation, but none for boys.

The woman, who is unnamed to protect the identity of her son, is now taking legal action against the doctor who carried out the procedure without her approval.

A Nottingham mother has called for a ban on circumcision after a doctor performed the operation without her consent. She is taking legal action against the doctor. Pictured: File photo of a baby

The mother told the Times: 'For FGM they can stop people taking daughters out of this country but they won't protect boys in this country.'

She added: 'Somebody needs to be held accountable for what they are doing to little boys.

'I have had to lay my son on a towel and not even been able to put him in a nappy because he is scratching away and he is in that much pain and somebody has inflicted that on my child.'

The mother, who is nonreligious, became pregnant after a casual affair with a Muslim man.

HOW CIRCUMCISIONS ARE PERFORMED ON BABIES The baby will be strapped down to avoid movement. Next, he will have either a topical aesthetic applied to the surface of the penis or have numbing agents injected into the penis or around its base. One of three different types of clamps or devices is used to separate the glans from the foreskin and crush or cut a ring of skin from the penis. The clamps provide for an immediate procedure, while the Plastibell device stays attached for several days before falling off. Usually the baby will feel better within three to four days, but he can be taken home that same day. Appearance of the area improves within a week. Advertisement

She has sole custody of the boy and she did not list the father on the birth certificate because it was a 'fling that went wrong'.

However, she did allow the boy's father to visit him and his family, citing her want for her child to enjoy a big family.

It was during a visit with the father's family that the boy's grandmother took him to get a circumcision with the father's consent.

The mother claims the circumcision was done to have the child identify as Muslim when he grows up.

Now her legal action has been supported by other groups that want to ban the practice for non-medical reasons.

Some of these groups hope to follow in the footsteps of Iceland.

There is proposed legislation in the country that describes circumcision as a 'violation' of young boys' rights and the only time it should be considered is for 'health reasons'.

Addressing religious traditions, it insists the 'rights of the child' always exceed the 'right of the parents to give their children guidance when it comes to religion'.

The proposal to prohibit circumcision has been put forward by Progressive Party MP Silja Dogg Gunnarsdottir and is backed by several other Icelandic politicians.