It is painful and offers no health benefits. For these reasons, the U. Some approaches include:. Recent research shows that these efforts may be working. You may also contact the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section of the Department of Justice at or hrsptips usdoj. ICE ice. Girls and women in the United States who have already been cut need access to clinically and culturally appropriate care from trained health care providers.
Department of Health and Human Services. ET closed on federal holidays. Breadcrumb Home A-Z health topics Female genital mutilation or cutting. Female genital mutilation or cutting. This is also called clitoridectomy. Type 2: Partial or total removal of the clitoris and the labia the inner and outer "lips" that surround the vagina Type 3: Sewing the labia together to make the vaginal opening smaller. This is called infibulation.
The clitoris may be left in place. Type 4: All other harm to the female genitalia for nonmedical purposes, including pricking, piercing, cutting, scraping, and cauterization burning. Other reasons may include: To help ensure a woman remains a virgin until marriage Hygiene. Some communities believe that the external female genitals that are cut the clitoris or the labia or both are unclean. Rite of passage. Condition of marriage. In some countries, a girl or woman is cut in order to be suitable for marriage.
The age when girls are cut varies from country to country and even within communities. Girls are most at risk between birth and 15 years. In other countries, most girls are cut between 5 and Women may be cut just before marriage. Some communities wait until the first pregnancy. How bad these problems are depends on: 7 How clean sterile the place is where cutting happens. The cutting is often done with glass, razor blades, or knives. The tools may not be sterilized between cuttings.
The general health of the girl or woman. Immediate medical problems can include: 7 Severe pain. Girls usually don't get any pain medicine before or after they are cut. Serious bleeding Infection of the wound. Girls can get fever, shock, and even die if the infection is not treated.
Girls are held down often against their will and may not understand why. Problems going to the bathroom, including burning and pain Tetanus and other infectious diseases, such as HIV , from unsterilized cutting tools Death. Long-term health problems include: 9 Infections, such as genital abscesses sores filled with pus that must be drained and infectious diseases such as hepatitis B. The type of mutilation practised, the age at which it is carried out and the way in which it is done, vary according to a variety of factors.
These include:. The procedure is carried out at a variety of ages, ranging from shortly after birth to sometime during the first pregnancy. Although not always the case, it most commonly occurs between the ages of 0 to 15 years and the age is decreasing in some countries.
The practice has been linked in some countries with rites of passage for women. FGM is usually performed by traditional practitioners using a sharp object such as a knife, a razor blade or broken glass.
There is also evidence of an increase in the performance of FGM by medical personnel. Immediate consequences of FGM include severe pain and bleeding, shock, difficulty in passing urine, infections, injury to nearby genital tissue and sometimes death.
The procedure can result in death through severe bleeding leading to haemorrhagic shock, neurogenic shock as a result of pain and trauma, and overwhelming infection and septicaemia , according to Manfred Nowak, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
Almost all women who have undergone FGM experience pain and bleeding as a consequence of the procedure. The event itself is traumatic as girls are held down during the procedure. Risk and complications increase with the type of FGM and are more severe and prevalent with infibulations. In addition to the severe pain during and in the weeks following the cutting, women who have undergone FGM experience various long-term effects - physical, sexual and psychological.
Each year, around 4 million girls worldwide are at risk of undergoing female genital mutilation FGM , with most girls cut before the age of There has been significant progress made in eliminating the harmful practice, but more is needed, and fast, if we are to end it once and for all.
Female genital mutilation FGM is a procedure performed on a woman or girl to alter or injure her genitalia for non-medical reasons.
It most often involves the partial or total removal of her external genitalia. In many of the countries where FGM is performed, it is a deeply entrenched social norm rooted in gender inequality where violence against girls and women is socially acceptable.
The reasons behind the practice vary. Many communities practice genital mutilation in the belief that it will ensure a girl's future marriage or family honour. Some associate it with religious beliefs, although no religious scriptures require it. FGM has no health benefits and often leads to long-term physical and psychological consequences.
Medical complications can include severe pain, prolonged bleeding, infection, infertility and even death.
It can also lead to increased risk of HIV transmission. Women who have undergone genital mutilation can experience complications during childbirth, including postpartum haemorrhage, stillbirth and early neonatal death. Psychological impacts can range from a girl losing trust in her caregivers to longer-term feelings of anxiety and depression as a woman. Progress to end FGM needs to be at least 10 times faster if the practice is to be eliminated by
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