A ground-breaking Australian study has found that girls as young as 15 are asking their doctors for genital plastic surgery, with 35% of doctors having seen patients under 18 requesting it. Pornography has been given as the leading reason for girls’ dissatisfaction with their genitals. CARE has been a leading voice urging the Government to develop robust measures to protect children online and Heather Bellamy spoke with Rachael Adams, the Press Officer for CARE, about the issue.

Heather: Without being too graphic, what genital plastic surgery are girls wanting?

Rachael: The Labiaplasty, which involves a reshaping around the vaginal area.

Heather: What sort of numbers are requesting it?

Rachael: The actual numbers aren’t here with me but I think it’s about a thousand young girls that are under the age of 24.