FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION
What is it?
Female genital
mutilation, sometimes referred to as female circumcision, incorporates a
number of procedures that intentionally alter or cause injury to the
female genital organs without medical necessity.
What do the procedures entail?
There are four major types of FGM as identified by the World Health Organisation (WHO). These are:
1. Clitoridectomy: partial or total removal of the clitoris.
2. Excision: removing part or all of the clitoris and the
inner labia (lips that surround the vagina), with or without removal of
the labia majora (larger outer lips).
3. Infibulation: narrowing of the vaginal opening by creating a seal, formed by cutting and repositioning the labia.
4. Other harmful procedures to the female genitalia for
non-medical purposes, including pricking, piercing, incising, scraping
and cauterizing the genital area.
Who is at risk?
FGM is mostly carried out on young girls sometime between
infancy and the age of 15, although adult women are also affected. The
practice is mainly found in 29 countries in Africa and the Middle East,
where more than 125 million women are thought to be currently living
with the consequences of FGM.
In Africa in particular, more than three million girls are estimated to be at risk of being cut each year.
Who carries out the procedure?
In many
communities where FGM is prevalent, there is a traditional circumciser.
However, more than 18 per cent of all FGM is performed by health care
providers, and the trend towards medicalization is increasing.
What are the health risks?
The WHO states
that there are no health benefits to FGM – removing and damaging healthy
female genital tissue interferes with the natural function of women and
girls’ bodies. The health consequences can be high-risk and vary from
immediate problems to long-term, damaging effects.
The initial
procedure can result in severe pain, shock, bleeding, tetanus or sepsis
(bacterial infection), inability to urinate, open sores in the genital
region and injury to nearby genital tissue.
But girls are also at risk of abnormal periods, recurrent
bladder and urinary tract infections, cysts, pain during sex and lack of
sexual pleasure, infertility, childbirth problems and new-born deaths.
Young women who have had their vaginal opening sealed will also need to
have it cut open again later to allow for sexual intercourse and
childbirth.
Victims also suffer psychological problems following the very often traumatic procedure.
Why is FGM practised?
The procedure is the result of a combination of cultural, religious and social factors within families and communities.
FGM is often considered a necessary part of bringing up a
young girl properly and a way of preparing her for marriage. It is
thought to reduce a young woman’s libido, thereby ensuring pre-marital
virginity and marital fidelity.
In many communities the long-standing prevalence of the
procedure leads to pressures to conform to tradition, making it
difficult to end the abuse.
Where does the law stand on the issue?
FGM is considered
a gross violation of the human rights of girls and women. In December
2012 the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution of the elimination of
FGM.
The practice is
illegal in the UK – it is also illegal to arrange for a child to be
taken abroad for FGM. If caught, offenders face a large fine and a
prison sentence of up to 14 years.
What can be done?
If you know a young girl or woman who has undergone or is at risk from FGM , you should contact the police.
If the victim has already been taken abroad, you should contact the Foreign and Commonwealth Office...
THANK YOU
