CHILD Protection & Rights > Child Protection Issues.

Female genital mutilation/ Female genital cutting.
Female genital mutilation refers to all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external genitalia or other injuries to the female genital organs for cultural or other reasons that are not medical necessities.

Most of the girls and women who have undergone genital mutilation live in 28 African countries, although some live in Asia and the Middle East. They are also increasingly found in Europe, Australia, Canada and the USA, primarily among immigrants from these countries. Even if Female Genital Mutilation is not prevalent in India, it is practiced.

Today, the number of girls and women who have been undergone female genital mutilation is estimated at between 100 and 140 million. It is estimated that each year, a further 2 million girls are at risk of undergoing FGM.

Female genital mutilation reinforces the inequality suffered by girls and women and is a violation of universally recognized human rights – including the rights to bodily integrity and to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.

What is the impact of female genital mutilation?
The immediate and long-term health consequences of female genital mutilation vary according to the type and severity of the procedure performed.

While health consequences vary, they commonly include failure to heal, inflammatory diseases and urinary infections. Gynecological complications that result from female genital mutilation/cutting include severe pain, shock, hemorrhage, urine retention, ulceration of the genital region and injury to adjacent tissue. Severe bleeding and infection can cause death.

Long-term consequences include abscesses, damage to the urethra resulting in urinary incontinence, sexual dysfunction and difficulties with childbirth.

Increased susceptibility to HIV infection is a concern, due to the possible use of one single instrument in multiple operations.

Genital mutilation may leave a lasting psychosexual and psychological mark on the life and mind of the woman who has undergone it. In the longer term, women may suffer feelings of incompleteness, anxiety and depression.

Traditionally, female genital mutilation is performed by local practitioners, most of whom are women. The age at which female genital mutilation is performed varies from area to area. It is performed on infants a few days old, female children and adolescents and, occasionally, on mature women.

In some countries, efforts have been made to “medicalize” the procedure by having medical staff perform it in or outside of hospitals. This does not, however, make it less a violation of human rights, and communities should be helped to abandon the practice.

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