Issues We Address
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Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting
Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C,) involves removing all or part of the external female genitalia. The practice can be extremely detrimental to the physical and psychological health of women and girls. FGM/C frequently causes health complications that can last throughout a woman’s life and can even lead to death.
FGM/C is a deeply entrenched cultural practice and is pervasive throughout parts of Africa, Asia and a few Arab states. It is estimated that 130 million women and girls have undergone the procedure and another 2 million are at risk every year. Cultural practices encourage women to be circumcised. Girls who are not circumcised are labeled as promiscuous, and therefore, unworthy of marriage. The belief also exists that the external female genitals are unclean. So despite the many deaths, complications during pregnancy and childbirth, infection, and the psychological trauma caused by FGM/C, it is still practiced widely throughout many parts of the world. For this reason, it is especially important to work within cultural beliefs to educate people about the dangers of the tradition.
Regardless of the fact that female circumcision is not a religiously mandated practice, many people insist that religion requires it, so involving religious leaders in any effort to eradicate the practice is crucial. Learn more about PMC’s work to eradicate FGM/C.
The World Health Organization classifies four different types of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting:
Type I - excision of the prepuce, with or without excision of part or all of the clitoris;
Type II - excision of the clitoris with partial or total excision of the labia minora;
Type III - excision of part or all of the external genitalia and stitching/narrowing of the vaginal opening (infibulation);
Type IV - pricking, piercing or incising of the clitoris and/or labia; stretching of the clitoris and/or labia; cauterization by burning of the clitoris and surrounding tissue;scraping of tissue surrounding the vaginal orifice (angurya cuts) or cutting of the vagina (gishiri cuts); introduction of corrosive substances or herbs into the vagina to cause bleeding for the purpose of tightening or narrowing it; and any other procedure that falls under the definition given above.
Because of the range of cutting types, the motivations to practice female circumcision are also quite varied. Accordingly, the World Health Organization classifies five different reasons for performing the procedure:
Sexual: to reduce female sexual pleasure and make women less likely to engage in sexual practices.
Sociological: enforced by the society to provide a means of social integration, as a transitional rite into adulthood, or to maintain social cohesion.
Hygiene and Aesthetic: the belief that the female genitalia are dirty and unattractive.
Health: believing that the practice will improve fertility and child survival.
Religious Reasons: Although the practice predates any current religious movement, it is still believed by some to be a religious requirement (especially in Muslim communities).
PMC’s programs demonstrate the risks of female circumcision through the experiences of the characters for whom the audience feels an emotional attachment. Showing people the risks involved in the practice and showing alternative positive behaviors is the most effective way of eradicating a deeply embedded cultural practice such as FGM/C. Read more on listeners’ reactions to PMC’s program in Sudan, which dealt with the issue of FGM/C.
