Female genital mutilation (FGM) or FGC (female genital cutting), means the procedure that is usually carried out on young girls between infancy and the age of 15, most commonly before puberty starts, which involves partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. The practice has no health benefits for girls and women and cause severe bleeding and problems urinating, and later cysts, infections, as well as complications in childbirth and increased risk of newborn deaths. FGM often happens without consent and the victim may have to be forcibly restrained.
The practice of FGM is recognised internationally as a violation of the human rights of girls and women and reflects deep-rooted inequality between the sexes and constitutes an extreme form of discrimination against girls and women. It is nearly always carried out by traditional practitioners on minors and is a violation of the rights of children. The practice also violates a person’s rights to health, security and physical integrity; the right to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment; and the right to life, in instances when the procedure results in death. It is illegal in the UK and is child abuse.
There are 4 major types of FGM:
- type 1 (clitoridectomy) – removing part or all of the clitoris, this may also include the prepuce/clitoral hood (the fold of skin surrounding the clitoral glans).
- type 2 (excision) – removing part or total removal of the clitoral glans and the labia minora (the inner folds of the vulva), with or without removal of the labia majora (the outer folds of skin of the vulva).
- type 3 (infibulation) this is the narrowing of the vaginal opening through the creation of a covering seal. The seal is formed by cutting and repositioning the labia minora, or labia majora, sometimes through stitching, with or without removal of the clitoral prepuce/clitoral hood and glans.
- type 4 this includes other harmful procedures to the female genitalia for non-medical purposes, e.g., pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and burning the genital area.
FGM is often performed by traditional circumcisers or cutter who do not have any medical training.
The use of anaesthetics and antiseptics are generally not use and often carried out using knives, scissors, scalpels, pieces of glass or razor blades.
FGM – there are No health benefits, the practice only causes harm
FGM has no health benefits, and it harms girls and women in many ways. It involves removing and damaging healthy and normal female genital tissue, and it interferes with the natural functions of girls’ and women’s bodies. Although all forms of FGM are associated with increased risk of health complications, the risk is greater with more severe forms of FGM.
Some immediate complications of FGM can include:
- severe pain
- excessive bleeding (haemorrhage)
- genital tissue swelling
- fever
- infections e.g., tetanus
- urinary problems
- wound healing problems
- injury to surrounding genital tissue
- shock
- death.
Some of the long-term complications can include:
- urinary problems (painful urination, urinary tract infections)
- vaginal problems (discharge, itching, bacterial vaginosis and other infections)
- menstrual problems (for example, painful menstruations, difficulty in passing menstrual blood)
- scar tissue and keloid
- sexual problems (pain during intercourse, decreased satisfaction)
- increased risk of childbirth complications (difficult delivery, excessive bleeding, caesarean section, need to resuscitate the baby) and new-born deaths
- need for later surgeries: for example, the sealing or narrowing of the vaginal opening (type 3) may lead to the practice of cutting open the sealed vagina later to allow for sexual intercourse and childbirth. Sometimes genital tissue is stitched again several times, including after childbirth, hence the woman goes through repeated opening and closing procedures, further increasing both immediate and long-term risks; and psychological problems (depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, low self-esteem).