A female Michigan doctor was charged on Thursday with performing female genital mutilation on minor girls aged 7.

This is the first time an indictment for FGM has been filed against a doctor since FGM on minors was outlawed in the United States twenty years ago.

Jumana Nagarwala, 44, performed the procedures in the Henry Ford hospital in Detroit. If guilty, she will face up to 10 years in prison.

"Despite her oath to care for her patients, Dr Nagarwala is alleged to have performed horrifying acts of brutality on the most vulnerable victims," Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Blanco said in a statement. "The Department of Justice is committed to stopping female genital mutilation in this country, and will use the full power of the law to ensure that no girls suffer such physical and emotional abuse."

One of the girls was told the procedure would "get germs out of her," while the other described pain radiating down to her ankles.

Nagarwala has denied the accusations.

According to statistics, half a million US girls are at risk of undergoing FGM.