FGM Flashcards
(8 cards)
What is FGM?
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is the act of cutting some
or all of a female person’s external genitals, for reasons which
are not medical. It is also sometimes referred to as female circumcision.
What are the 3 different types of FGM?
Clitoridectomy, Excision and Infibulation
What type of FGM is Clitoridectomy?
Where part or all of the clitoris is removed.
What type of FGM is Excision?
Where part or all of the female person’s clitoris and the lips surrounding
vagina are removed. The outer lips may or may not be removed.
What type of FGM is Infibulation?
Infibulation is the most severe type of FGM. This is where the female person’s outer lips and clitoris are removed, and her genitals are stitched up so that she cannot have sex, or cannot get any pleasure from having sex. A small opening is left, so that the girl can still go to the toilet and have her period. If a woman who has undergone this kind of FGM gets pregnant, her genitals then have to be unstitched to allow her to give birth. Her genitals are then sewn back up again after she has given birth.
Who Does It Happen To?
FGM happens to girls, at any age, but usually when they are below the age of 15. It may be carried out when a girl is a baby, or in her childhood, adolescence, or even before she gets married or pregnant. It is estimated that 200 million women and girls alive today have undergone FGM.
FGM is often performed by people who do not have medical training, using a razor blade, without any painkillers or anaesthetic.
Where Does It Happen?
FGM happens in 29 countries, mainly in Africa, the Middle East and some parts of Asia. The most severe kind of FGM, called infibulation, is mostly done in North-Eastern African countries like Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Sudan. However, because of migration, there are also people affected by FGM living in Europe, Australia, North America, and other countries worldwide.
Why does it happen?
FGM is mainly carried out for cultural reasons. It is considered to be a tradition which promotes modesty and what is considered to be ‘appropriate’ sexual behaviour in women. It is supposed to put women off having sex, so that they don’t have sex before marriage and only have sex with one person (their husband). It is sometimes also considered to be a sign of religious faith, or a symbol of passing into adulthood. FGM is often carried out by women on younger girls.
