Female genital mutilation, sometimes called female circumcision, is a cruel custom that persists across parts of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. It involves cutting or removing parts of the external female genitalia – the clitoris, the labia minora, or even stitching the labia majora shut – all in the name of controlling women’s sexuality, preparing them for marriage, or fulfilling misguided religious beliefs.
10 Facts About Female Genital Mutilation Overview
10 The Health Risks Are Severe And Often Deadly
There are absolutely no health benefits to female genital mutilation; instead, the procedure brings a laundry list of life‑threatening complications. In the immediate aftermath, girls and women can suffer excruciating pain, massive bleeding, swollen genital tissue, fever, infections, tearing of the area, difficulties urinating, failure of the wound to heal properly, damage to surrounding tissue, and in the worst scenarios, shock and death.
If a survivor manages to get through those acute dangers, a host of long‑term problems may follow: recurring urinary tract infections, painful or obstructed urination, vaginal discharge, itchiness, bacterial vaginosis, scar tissue that restricts movement, intense pain or tearing during sex, challenges with intimacy, tearing during childbirth that can lead to hemorrhaging, the need for newborn resuscitation, and even infant mortality. On top of the physical toll, mental health can deteriorate dramatically, with victims experiencing depression, low self‑esteem, anxiety disorders, personality disorders, sexual dysfunction, difficulty becoming aroused, post‑traumatic stress disorder, and a host of other stress‑related conditions.
9 Newborns To Young Adults Are Most Affected
The typical age for a girl to undergo female genital mutilation falls between seven and ten years old, but the practice can strike even younger children in many societies. Mothers often feel pressured by community expectations to subject their daughters to the cutting, believing that doing it early “reduces trauma” for the child. Even girls aged fourteen or older who have escaped the procedure remain at risk if they have not yet married.
Social pressure can be relentless: women who have daughters may feel compelled to have them cut in order to secure a husband, even if the mother herself opposes the practice and has never been cut. Some young women even endure the procedure in their late teens, hoping that having the scar will make them more marriage‑able in cultures where a cut is seen as a sign of purity.
8 There Are Four Types
Type 1, known as clitoridectomy, involves removing the clitoral hood and partially or completely excising the clitoris itself.
Type 2, called excision, takes away the clitoris and the labia minora, sometimes also removing part or all of the labia majora.
Type 3, the most extreme form, is referred to as infibulation or the Pharaonic type. It narrows the vaginal opening by cutting and repositioning the labia minora and/or majora, often stitching them together to create a seal. This may or may not include the removal of the clitoris. The sealed opening is only opened through penetrative intercourse, surgery, or tearing during childbirth.
Type 4 is a catch‑all category for any other non‑medical modifications, such as pricking, piercing, incisions, scraping, or cauterisation. Some rare practices even affect Aboriginal women in Australia, where a special string is used to bind the area.
7 There Are Cases In The United States
A joint study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the CDC, prompted by advocacy groups Equality Now and Same Hands for Girls in early 2016, estimated that roughly 513,000 girls and women in the United States have either undergone or are at risk of female genital mutilation.
Another analysis by the Population Reference Bureau in February 2015 put the figure at about 507,000 at‑risk or already‑affected girls and women living in the U.S., underscoring the urgent need for better data on the practice’s prevalence stateside.
Although federal law has criminalised female genital mutilation since 1996, a surprising number of states—Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming—still lack specific statutes addressing the act.
6 Countries Are Trying To Get FGM Medicalized
In numerous nations where female genital mutilation is entrenched, a growing cadre of health‑care professionals is performing the cuts, promoting a dangerous “medicalization” of the practice. This trend threatens to normalize the procedure as a legitimate medical intervention, despite the absolute lack of health benefits for the women involved.
Many proponents cite religious justification, especially in some Muslim‑majority countries, claiming that the Qur’an mandates the practice. However, Al‑Azhar University in Cairo has publicly denounced this interpretation, labeling it a deceitful distortion meant to mislead believers.
5 A Variety Of Tools Are Used
The instruments employed for female genital mutilation are often far from sterile or professionally maintained. Practitioners may use dirty scalpels, shards of glass, ordinary razors, small knives, or even sharpened sticks to carry out the procedure.
In some remote communities, such as the Pitta‑Patta tribe among Australian Aboriginal peoples, a unique tool known as “opossum string” – made from the hair of opossums – is utilised. During the rite, an elderly male elder tears the vaginal opening with fingers bound in this string, after which the girl may be forced into intercourse with several men as part of the ritual.
4 There Are Severe Sexual Consequences
Women who have endured female genital mutilation frequently encounter profound sexual difficulties. Achieving orgasm becomes harder, libido may dwindle, and many feel incapable of satisfying a partner. The altered anatomy often hampers natural lubrication, leading to painful tearing during intercourse.
Complications extend to childbirth: the sealed vaginal opening can tear violently, causing severe hemorrhage, damage to surrounding tissue, and sometimes even the death of the newborn.
3 There Are Also Severe Psychological Consequences
The mental‑health fallout from female genital mutilation is staggering. Survivors may develop post‑traumatic stress disorder, other stress‑related disorders, chronic depression, personality disorders, and a pervasive sense of low self‑worth.
Research conducted in 2010 among women in northern Iraq revealed that 45.6 % suffered from some form of anxiety disorder, while 13.9 % displayed symptoms of a personality disorder, underscoring the deep psychological scars left by the practice.
2 Female Genital Mutilation Is A Massive Violation Of Human Rights
While the violation may seem obvious to many outsiders, numerous communities that practice female genital mutilation still view it as acceptable. International bodies such as the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Committee on the Rights of the Child, and the Human Rights Committee have all condemned the practice, labeling it as torture and cruel, inhuman treatment.
FGM breaches multiple international covenants, including the civil‑political rights covenant, the economic, cultural and social rights covenant, CEDAW (the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women), the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the refugee conventions. Because children are especially vulnerable, the practice is deemed a permanent, non‑consensual operation that violates their right to protection under the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
1 Numerous Human Rights Campaigns Fight To End Female Genital Mutilation
Stopping female genital mutilation is a daunting challenge, but a host of human‑rights organizations are working tirelessly to raise awareness, educate communities, and push for legislative change. Notable groups include the End FGM European Network, Equality Now, the Network Against Female Genital Mutilation, and The Orchid Project, among many others.
Knowledge empowers action. By learning the full scope of this harmful practice and sharing that insight, each of us can help amplify the fight to protect women and girls worldwide and ultimately bring an end to female genital mutilation.