Female Genital Mutilation

The definition of FGM is the partial or total removal of female genitalia which is carried out for cultural or non-therapeutic reasons; in some cultures it is known as cutting or female circumcision. There are four types of FGM

• Type 1: Clitoridectomy also known as Sunna
• Type 2: Excision
• Type 3: Infibulation
• Type 4: is unclassified as it could be a piercing, stretching, use of herbs to tighten or narrow the vagina or use of corrosive substances that cause bleeding, or cauterising or burning of the clitoris.

FGM is a criminal offence in the UK; it can be carried out on new born girls or during childhood or adolescence, it can happen before marriage or during a first pregnancy; although it is believed that it usually occurs between the ages of 5 and 8 years of age. 10% of cases result in death and there are believed to be 200 million women and girls who have been affected by FGM worldwide.

This practice is painful and can have serious health issues either at the time of the cutting or later in life.

No religion endorses this procedure and it is not part of any faith; it is a cultural belief based on a system that requires women to be “clean” to ensure that they make good marriages, that women are chaste and that the family “honour’ has not been sullied.

More information on FGM can be found in our Relationships Shouldn't Hurt podcast episode Harmful Practices: Female Genital Mutilation and transcript.