Worldwide, an estimated 130 million girls and women have undergone female genital mutilation. At least two million women a year are “at risk” of undergoing some form of the procedure. These numbers equal out to approximately 6,000 women at risk per day. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines Female Genital Mutilation as all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs whether for cultural or other non-therapeutic reasons (Jones, 1997). Female circumcision is another term for the procedure as well.
Many national and international medical organizations including the American Medical Association (AMA), Canadian medical organizations, and WHO oppose the practice of female genital mutilation. The United Nations (UN) considers female genital mutilation a violation of human rights. WHO has undertaken a number of projects aimed at decreasing the incidence of FGM. These include the following activities:
- publishing a statement addressing the regional status of FGM and encouraging the development of national policy against its practice,
- organizing training for regional community workers,
- developing educational materials for local health care workers,
- providing alternative occupations for individuals who perform FGM procedures
History & Types
Female Genital Mutilation Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) has been an ongoing worldwide debate. Although evidence of FGM can be found dating back several thousands of years where Egyptian women mummies have been found mutilated, the specific origin of FGM is obscured by time. Its practice has been cited in almost thirty African nations (Ortiz, 1998).
In addition, the proof of FGM has been seen in the Middle East and to a lesser extent, in parts of Asia. Most often, the historic reasons cited are marital fidelity, controlling a women’s sex drive, and “calming” a woman’s personality and hygiene. More modern justifications for this procedure......
