Female genital mutilation (FGM) is the collective name given to several different traditional practices that involve the cutting of female genitals. Although several justifications exist for the maintenance of the practice, it appears to be linked primarily to a desire to subordinate women and to control their sexuality.

Worldwide, an estimated 130 million girls and women have undergone FGM, and at least two million girls a year are at risk of undergoing some form of the procedure. Currently, FGM is practiced in 28 African countries in the sub-Saharan region as well as the northeastern part of Africa. Reports also indicate sporadic practice in some nations in the Middle East and in a few ethnic groups in India and Sri Lanka. Immigrant communities originating from countries where the practice is prevalent also perform FGM. While the procedures vary according to such factors as ethnic groups and geographic regions, the World Health Organization has grouped them in four categories:

• Type I: Clitoridectomy - Removal of the prepuce with or without excision of part or all of the clitoris;
  
• Type II: Excision - Removal of the prepuce and clitoris together with partial or total excision of the labia minora;
  
• Type III: Infibulation - Removal of part or all of the external genitalia and stitching/narrowing of the vaginal opening;
  
• Type IV: Unclassified - All other procedures that involve partial or total removal of the female external genitalia and/or injury to the female genital organs for cultural or any other non-therapeutic reasons.

A growing African activism has led to international awareness of FGM as a fundamental violation of women's and girls' rights. Consequently, a large number of United Nations bodies and conferences have specifically called on governments to adopt measures aimed at the elimination of this harmful traditional practice. In addition, several countries in Africa as well as in the West have criminalized the practice.

The Center regards FGM as a critical women's reproductive rights issue and seeks to eradicate the practice. FGM violates the human rights of women and girls because it interferes with their right to bodily integrity by removing their healthy sexual organs without medical necessity. The Center's work has focused on analyzing worldwide laws and policies relating to FGM and on advocating a holistic approach to the problem. All efforts to eliminate FGM should include education, outreach, and the provision of quality reproductive health care to women. If governments choose to criminalize the practice, they should do so after a careful review of their existing legislation and after they have built broad-based support for their position.

Factsheets:

• Female Genital Mutilation (FGM): Global Laws and Policies Toward Elimination