MP CAROLINE Nokes has joined forces to ban virginity testing and hymen repair surgery.

Virginity tests and the practice of hymen repair also known as hymenoplasty surgery, are both currently legal and are being carried out by doctors in the UK to check or restore the virginity of a woman, often prior to an arranged marriage.

However, medical professionals claim there is little scientific evidence to suggest virginity testing is even accurate.

Whilst the testing is set to be banned in the UK, a cross-party coalition of MPs and women’s rights organisations are backing two new clauses to the Health and Care Bill to see both practices made illegal at the same time.

According to the World Health Organisation, so-called virginity testing is “A violation of the victims human rights and is associated with immediate and long-term consequences that are detrimental to her physical, psychological and social well-being.”

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Royal College of Midwives strongly oppose the two practices on the grounds that neither is medically required in any circumstance. They say: “We are very concerned that women are either being coerced into having these procedures or feel pressurised into having them so they can bleed during sex and can demonstrate they are a virgin on their wedding night. women deserve the right to have ownership over their own sexual and reproductive health.”

The New Clause 1 and New Clause 2 has received support from over 50 MPs including former Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, Plaid Cymru Leader, Liz Saville Roberts and Labour’s Shadow Minister for Domestic Violence and Safeguarding, Jess Phillips.

Caroline Nokes said: “Women and girls deserve to grow up free from notions of ‘breaking their womanhood’ so they ‘bleed on their wedding night’. These traumatic practices have no basis in medical science, harm women and girls and perpetuate dangerous myths of ‘purity’.

“We must act now to stop both ‘virginity testing’ and hymen ‘repair’ surgery. I call on the Government to end this violence against women and girls for good."

Diana Nammi, executive director of IKWRO, women's rights organisation said: “We support women and girls, whose lives have been put at risk of so-called "honour" killing because of virginity testing and who have been severely traumatised and harmed by hymenoplasty. We are working with Caroline Nokes to ensure these invasive and degrading, harmful practices, which have no medical or other justification, are banned without delay. We have learned from our experiences in tackling the harmful practices of female genital mutilation and forced marriage, how vital it is to have clear legislation as a deterrent.”