32 - Female Circumcision/Female Genital Mutilation

Abstract

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the procedures defined as female circumcision/female genital mutilation (FC/FGM) comprise all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for cultural or other non-therapeutic reasons. These procedures can vary greatly depending upon region, country, and ethnic group, and there has been much confusion and many inaccuracies in reporting on types of FC/FGM in past research and documentation of the practice. Initially, attention to FC/FGM was focused mainly on the physical and psychological damage that it causes. These consequences can be serious and debilitating, and the public health impact has been widely acknowledged by the international community, including the WHO. However, arguments against the practice based solely on the health effects are problematic for two reasons: (1) it could be inferred that in the majority of cases where no complications occur, the ritual is acceptable; (2) Second, these arguments leave room for the false notion that the situation would improve if FC/FGM are performed by trained physicians or nurses under hygienic conditions. Increasingly, debate about FC/FGM has also revolved around discussion of human rights.