Dear friends, Our e-petition to Theresa May, the Home Secretary and her Shadow, Yvette Cooper, has now gained over 8,000 supporters. Thank you all. But there remains a way to go..... So could you please redouble your efforts to secure endorsement of our petition? Despite recent legal activity, there have still been no successful FGM prosecutions in the UK, ever. There really must be convictions (based of course on firm evidence) to demonstrate that FGM will not be tolerated. Recent data suggests that FGM is a problem (crime) of massive dimension in the UK: http://www.hscic.gov.uk/fgm . Over 100 women with observed FGM are being admitted to English acute hospitals every week. This is an epidemic. Indeed, the numbers have probably risen significantly in the past few years. And in the meantime little girls in Britain continue to have life-long damage cruelly inflicted on them. I'm very grateful to those currently promoting our demand for prosecutions; and I know the politicians are listening. But the pressure must be kept up. The courts are the ultimate enforcers of protection for the vulnerable. Please share this petition as widely as you can. Even simply keeping FGM in the public eye may help protect children from this terrifying abuse. Thank you again - and don't hesitate to get in touch (my website www.hilaryburrage.com has the contact details) is you would like to. Best wishes, Hilary [Hilary Burrage: author of a book just completed on eradicating FGM in the UK]