Female Genital Cutting

Female genital cutting (FGC; also known as “female circumcision” or “female genital mutilation”) has sparked enormous debate because the issue lies at the crux of many other critical issues: globalization, sovereignty, women's and children's rights, democracy, and modernity. The precise origins of the practice, which dates back to antiquity, are unclear. FGC is deeply embedded in the culture of a number of eastern and central African nations and can be found in other parts of the world as well. The practice continues primarily because it is a tradition. At the turn of the millennium, FGC was practiced widely in 25 countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that more than 130 million women and girls have undergone some form of genital cutting worldwide. Since the 1970s, eradication efforts have been particularly intense.

FGC is typically delineated into categories that vary by type of procedure. “Sunna” is most comparable to male circumcision. It involves the removal of the prepuce, or hood, of the clitoris. “Genital excision” or “clitoridectomy” is the removal of the entire clitoris and the labia minora, leaving the labia majora intact. “Infibulation,” the most extreme form of FGC, is the excision of the clitoris, labia minora and labia majora, followed by the sewing together of the raw edges of the vulva so that only a small hole remains through which urine and menstrual fluid may pass. Mothers have typically taken responsibility for having their daughters circumcised. A traditional midwife often performs the circumcisions, but in some places, health professionals are circumcisers.

FGC creates a number of short- and long-term health consequences. Severe bleeding is the most common immediate complication. Many other complications, such as urine retention or keloids, can lead to discomfort and disfigurement but are typically not life-threatening. Nearly all forms of FGC interfere with women's sexual response. However, they do not necessarily eliminate the possibility of sexual pleasure or climax. Infibulated women are especially vulnerable to more serious health consequences. Much of the literature on FGC exaggerates such harmful or negative health consequences because it often assumes that all circumcised women are infibulated. In fact, estimates suggest that this extreme form of FGC occurs among only 15 to 20 percent of circumcised women. Further, the incidence of infibulation has decreased in recent years. In some parts of the world, increased medical-ization has reduced the incidence of negative health complications.

Three different cultural frameworks for FGC exist. Frequently, the practice is promoted to ensure the virginity of women upon marriage. The idea is that a clitoridectomy will help women keep their sexual desires in check; in some societies, infibulation is an added precaution because it makes intercourse uncomfortable and difficult. In communities where virginity is of paramount importance, girls are often circumcised in a private ceremony. The second cultural framework treats FGC as a rite of passage into adulthood. In this case, entire cohorts of girls are circumcised at the same time at a certain age. A cohort of boys is also often circumcised at the same time. When FGC is a rite of passage, a period of seclusion often follows, in which elders educate girls about community requirements. Under either of these cultural frameworks, FGC is usually a requisite for finding a marriage partner. A much less common cultural framework for FGC is the fad. Young women in a number of countries (including the United States and Chad) are undergoing the procedure to be fashionably different. This type of FGC is the least prevalent and tends not to have a lasting impact on the communities in which it occurs.

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