Nineteen new cases of female genital mutilation (FGM) were recorded in Croydon after Government-enforced tracking came into effect.

The cases, compiled by the Health and Social Care Information Centre and recorded by doctors as part of a nationwide initiative to combat the practice, put Croydon towards the lower end of the scale of prevalence in London.

Mandatory recording came into force in July after campaigns by survivors and others, while ministers created a new power for police to seize the passports of girls they believe are being taken abroad to undergo mutilation.

Prime Minister David Cameron said earlier this year: “Female genital mutilation is a cruel and barbaric practice.

“We should not rest until this abhorrent practice is stopped everywhere.

“The fact it is happening right here, to young women and girls in our own country, sickens and appalls me.”

Croydon’s 19 cases, recorded between July and September, put the area on a par with Haringey and Lewisham, while numbers ranged as high as 78 in Southwark and 60 in Brent.

Award-winning anti-FGM and “honour” violence campaigner Sarbjit Athwal, who runs the True Honour charity, said: “It’s a good thing they have made it mandatory. Raising awareness is one of the biggest challenges.

“It’s difficult, when you’re living in that cycle, to break that cycle and go to someone and report it. They don’t know if they’re going to be believed and supported.

“Trust between the victim and the person they’re reporting it to – it's a key point.”

Michael Fanning, Croydon Health Services’ director of nursing, said: “This illegal practice can cause a lifetime of misery and ill health for women who are victims of it and can sometimes even prove fatal.

“We are committed to ensuring we do everything we can to safeguard women in Croydon.

“We provide support for women or girls who have undergone FGM and run regular training for staff on caring for women and girls who have suffered FGM and identifying those who may be at risk.”

Across the country, self-reporting was the most common way women were identified as FGM survivors, the HSCIC said. Where data was recorded, discovery was most likely during a visit to midwives.

FGM can involve removal of the clitoris and inner labia, and the narrowing of the vagina. Many girls are taken abroad and forced to undergo the dangerous procedures during school holidays.