230 Million Women.
One Preventable Crisis.
Zero Acceptable Excuses.
Female Genital Mutilation is not a “cultural tradition.” It is a human rights violation — a form of gender-based violence that destroys lives, steals childhoods, and kills thousands of girls every year. It can be stopped. But only if we act together.
What Is Female Genital Mutilation?
Understanding what FGM is — and why calling it by its true name matters.
Female Genital Mutilation comprises all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. It has no health benefits whatsoever and is internationally recognized as a grave violation of the human rights of girls and women.
More Than a “Tradition” — It Is Violence
FGM is sometimes referred to as “female circumcision” — a deliberately softened term that obscures the devastating reality. There is nothing comparable between male circumcision and FGM. FGM deliberately destroys healthy tissue and eliminates normal bodily function. It is performed with no medical benefit, often by untrained practitioners, using non-sterile instruments.
The practice is typically imposed on girls between infancy and age 15 — children who cannot consent, who do not understand what is happening to them, and who will carry its consequences for life. Many die from blood loss or infection. All suffer.
This is not culture. This is child abuse. And it must end.
The 4 Types of Female Genital Mutilation
The WHO classifies FGM into four categories. Every type causes harm. None has any medical justification.
Clitoridectomy
Partial or total removal of the clitoris and/or the prepuce. This is the most common form in many communities. It permanently eliminates sexual sensation and carries severe infection risk.
Excision
Partial or total removal of the clitoris and the labia minora, with or without removal of the labia majora. Severe bleeding and long-term urinary complications are common outcomes.
Infibulation
Narrowing of the vaginal opening through cutting and repositioning, sometimes stitching closed the labia. This makes urination, menstruation, intercourse and childbirth agonizing or impossible.
All Other Harmful Procedures
Includes pricking, piercing, incising, scraping, and cauterizing the genital area for non-medical purposes. No form is “minor.” Every procedure violates a child’s bodily integrity.
Why Does FGM Still Happen in 2025?
Understanding the forces that perpetuate FGM is the first step to dismantling them.
A System of Control — Not a Spiritual Mandate
FGM persists not because communities are cruel, but because of deeply entrenched social norms that tie girls’ worth to their “purity.” In many communities, an uncut girl is considered unmarriageable. Mothers who refuse to cut their daughters may face social exclusion, threats, or violence. FGM is upheld by collective fear, not individual belief.
Critically, FGM has no basis in any religion. It is not mentioned in the Quran or the Bible. It predates Islam and Christianity. Religious leaders across the world — Muslim, Christian, and traditional — actively campaign against it. To claim FGM is religiously required is simply false.
The antidote is collective social change: when entire communities publicly commit to abandoning FGM together, the practice can end within a single generation. This is already happening. It is working. But not fast enough.
“The silence around FGM is what keeps it alive. Every time we speak the truth — clearly, loudly, without apology — we take power away from those who use shame to protect this practice.”
FGM Destroys Health — Immediately and Forever
There is no “mild” form of FGM. Every type causes physical harm, from the moment the cut is made to the end of a survivor’s life.
A Life Sentence Written in a Single Moment
FGM is not a ritual that ends. It is a wound that opens again and again — during menstruation, during sex, during childbirth. A woman who survived FGM as a child will be reminded of it every month, every intimacy, every delivery room.
According to a landmark WHO study, women who have undergone FGM are significantly more likely to experience obstetric complications including hemorrhage, cesarean sections, and infant death. The practice does not protect women. It endangers them.
Immediate Complications
- Severe, unbearable pain without anesthesia
- Hemorrhage — a leading cause of death
- Acute infection and sepsis
- Tetanus and wound gangrene
- Urinary retention and damage
- Injury to surrounding tissue
- Death — in an estimated 1 in 500 cases
Lifelong Consequences
- Chronic pelvic pain and infections
- Recurring urinary tract infections
- Menstrual disorders and pain
- Complete loss of sexual sensation
- Painful intercourse (dyspareunia)
- Obstructed labour — risk to mother and baby
- HIV risk increase due to repeated procedures
The Invisible Wounds: Psychological Devastation
FGM doesn’t just harm the body. It fractures the mind. Survivors carry trauma that rarely receives recognition or care.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Studies show that up to 30% of FGM survivors develop PTSD. Flashbacks, hypervigilance, and emotional numbness are everyday realities — not side effects.
Depression & Chronic Anxiety
Survivors report significantly higher rates of severe depression and generalized anxiety. Many never receive a diagnosis, let alone treatment.
Sleep Disorders & Nightmares
Night terrors, chronic insomnia, and body-related anxiety affect survivors across all ages — often beginning on the day the procedure was performed.
Shattered Intimacy & Trust
Survivors frequently describe inability to form intimate relationships, fear of touch, and deep betrayal by the adults who subjected them to the procedure.
Your Questions About FGM, Answered
Clear, fact-based answers to the most commonly asked questions about Female Genital Mutilation.
FGM comprises all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or any other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. The WHO recognizes four types of FGM. None has any health benefits. All are human rights violations. The practice affects 230+ million girls and women worldwide according to 2024 WHO data.
No. This comparison is factually incorrect and deliberately misleading. Male circumcision removes a small portion of foreskin and has documented minor health benefits in some contexts. FGM removes or destroys healthy genital tissue — including organs whose only function is sexual pleasure — and causes severe, permanent harm. International medical bodies, including the WHO, explicitly reject any equivalence between the two practices.
Absolutely not. FGM is not required, endorsed, or mentioned in the Quran, the Bible, or the Torah. The practice predates all major world religions. It is practiced among Muslim, Christian, and animist communities alike — and is absent in most Muslim-majority countries. Major Islamic scholars and institutions have formally declared FGM un-Islamic. Using religion to justify FGM is a distortion of faith to protect cultural power.
FGM is concentrated in 30 countries across sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, with the highest prevalence in Somalia (98%), Guinea (95%), and Djibouti (93%). Due to global migration, FGM is now also performed in immigrant communities across Europe, Australia, Canada, and the United States — making it a global issue, not a regional one.
Yes — but not fast enough. UNFPA reports a significant decline in FGM prevalence in many countries over the past two decades, driven by education, legal reform, and community-led change. However, global population growth means the absolute number of girls at risk is increasing. Without accelerated action, 68 million additional girls could be cut by 2030. Progress is real — but urgency remains critical.
You have real power here. Donate to organizations like Charity and Hope that run grassroots education and survivor support programs. Share this page and break the silence in your own network. Advocate by contacting your elected representatives to support anti-FGM legislation and funding. Educate yourself and those around you — awareness is the first barrier to practice. Every voice matters.
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Be That Person.
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