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Female Genital Cutting

Feb. 2010 Update: Click here to download our new fact sheet Gender Inequality and Violence Against Women and Girls Around the World.

In many societies around the world, young girls are subjected to a painful, invasive procedure called female genital cutting (FGC). In FGC, a young woman’s clitoris and/or labia are cut with a knife or removed. Sometimes the labia are then sealed, leaving only a small opening to allow the flow of urine and menstrual blood.
 
In some societies, genital cutting marks a rite of passage into womanhood; in others, it is believed to be attractive and to guarantee virginity, curb female sexual desires, maintain hygiene, prevent promiscuity, and increase fertility. Communities often do it for religious reasons, but no known religious texts, including the Koran and the Bible, recommend or require it.
 
An estimated 100-140 million women have experienced FGC. Three million more undergo it every year - and most are under 15 years old.
 
FGC Is A Violation of Young Women’s Human Rights
  • Female genital cutting has no medical benefit, and in fact has a number of serious medical consequences, including severe pain, infection, interference with urinating and menstruating, infertility, and an increased risk of complications from childbirth.
  • Beyond experiencing pain, in many cases young women are physically forced to remain virgins, and cannot have sex until the vaginal opening is reopened by a painful procedure.
  • Girls experience great societal pressure at a very young age to undergo FGC, and can be shunned and rejected for marriage if they do not undergo it.
  • It can be hard to convince a society that practices FGC to give it up, but a number of programs have been successful at convincing communities to abandon FGC.
 Young women in all cultures have the right to health, physical security, and freedom from torture and degradation. We all have the right to equality, autonomy, and control over our own bodies. 
 
 

FGC vs FGM

FGC is sometimes referred to as FGM, female genital mutilation. Some feel that due to the nature and circumstances of the procedure, mutilation is a more appropriate term. However, over 100 million have undergone the procedure, many of whom may not identify as victims of mutilation. Further, studies have shown that a culturally competent approach which includes education and social marketing, rather than outlawing the procedure and stigmatizing those who have had it, is the most effective means of ending the practice. Therefore, we have opted to use the term FGC.

Blog It!

Should young women have to undergo this practice? Have you ever heard about this practice in the news, on TV or in the movies? What did you think about its portrayal? Write a blog about female genital cutting
 
  
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Other Resources
Need current, reliable information on this topic? Check out the links below for the latest research.