Parents who fail to prevent their daughter being subjected to female genital mutilation will face prosecution under new legislation to be unveiled by the Government at a summit in London.
A £1.4 million FGM Prevention Programme are among a raft of plans to be announced by Prime Minister David Cameron at the Girl Summit, which is being co-hosted by the Government and Unicef.
The measures to combat FGM and forced marriage in the UK and abroad come as Unicef warns advances made in tackling them in the developing world could be reversed if the pace of action is not increased.
Mr Cameron said: "All girls have the right to live free from violence and coercion, without being forced into marriage or the lifelong physical and psychological effects of female genital mutilation.
"Abhorrent practices like these, no matter how deeply rooted in societies, violate the rights of girls and women across the world, including here in the UK.
"I want to build a better future for all our girls and I am hosting the Girl Summit today so that we say with one voice - let's end these practices once and for all."
Mr Cameron will attend the summit in London along with International Development Secretary Justine Greening, Home Secretary Theresa May and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.
Unicef's research showed more than 130 million girls and women experienced some form of FGM in the 29 countries in Africa and the Middle East where it is most common.
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