Female genital mutilation – more countries are making it illegal
Author: Professor Joyce Harper
FGM comprises all procedures that involve partial or complete removal of the external genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non medical reasons (WHO). It is also sometimes referred to as female genital cutting or female circumcision. FGM is usually performed by women on girls of any age. Men are rarely involved in the ‘ceremony’.
There are four categories of FGM.
Type 1 involves partial or total removal of the clitoris and/or hood of the clitoris.
Type 2 involves partial or total removal of the clitoris and/or hood of the clitoris and partial or total removal of the inner lips.
Type 3 involves the removal of all the external genitalia with or without removal of the clitoris and the vaginal opening stitched to make it smaller (infibulation).
Type 4 involves all other harmful procedures including cutting, pricking, or burning the clitoris, cutting or scaring the vaginal opening, or stretching the labia.
The mutilation is deeply rooted in tradition. It has been attributed to maintaining cleanliness, preservation of virginity and ensuring faithfulness in marriage, as the girl will probably not enjoy sex. It has no health benefits and in almost all cases the girl has not consented to the procedure, so it is a violation of human rights.
Complications can arise during the procedure, such as severe pain, excessive bleeding, genital tissue swelling, fever, infection, urinary problems, wound healing problems, injury to the surrounding tissue, shock and death. Longer term problems including urinary, vaginal and menstrual problems, scar tissue, sexual problems, risk of childbirth complications, increased risk of later surgeries, and psychological problems. It is unlikely that women who have had FGM will be able to reach orgasm.
FGM affects 125 million girls and women in 29 countries.FGM is concentrated in a swath of countries from the Atlantic Coast to the Horn of Africa including Somalia, Egypt and Sudan. Unicef estimates that 27.2 million women in Egypt and 23.8 million women in Ethiopia have undergone FGM.
But many governments in Africa and elsewhere have taken steps to eliminate the practice of FGM in their countries including Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, and Togo.
The penalties range from a minimum of three months to a maximum of life in prison. Several countries also impose monetary fines. There have been reports of prosecutions or arrests in cases involving FGM in several African countries, including Burkina Faso, Egypt, Ghana, Senegal, and Sierra Leone.
Twelve industrialized countries have passed laws criminalising the practice: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, and United States. France has relied on existing criminal legislation to prosecute both practitioners of FGM and parents procuring the service for their daughters.
In these countries, a minority of parents take their children ‘on holiday’ and have the FGM performed in their homeland. But the UK FGM Act states ‘Sections 1 to 3 (FGM, assisting a girl to perform FGM on herself and assisting a non-UK person to mutilate overseas a girl’s genitalia) extend to any act done outside the United Kingdom by a United Kingdom national or United Kingdom resident’.
The World Health Organisation have produced a fact sheet on FGM.
Viva la Vulva are a group of passionate, political and talented UCL medical students that campaign to raise awareness of FGM, gender based violence and the importance of access to good quality contraceptive and abortion services. They have produced the leaflet below explaining the different types of FGM.
Read More:
World Health Organisation fact sheet on FGM
Unicef report on countries performing FGM
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