London — Plan International says crisis is undermining efforts to end the ancient practice in Somalia which has the world's highest FGM rate

Somalia's coronavirus lockdown has led to a huge increase in female genital mutilation (FGM), with circumcisers going door to door offering to cut girls stuck at home during the pandemic, a charity said on Monday.

Plan International said the crisis was undermining efforts to eradicate the practice in Somalia, which has the world's highest FGM rate, with about 98% of women having been cut.

Allin said families in Somalia were taking advantage of school closures to carry out FGM so that the girls had time to recover from the ritual, which can take weeks.

"FGM is one of the most extreme manifestations of violence against girls and women," said Allin, who has been cut herself.

UNFPA Somalia representative Anders Thomsen said the pandemic was shifting world attention and funding away from combatting FGM.