FGM or Female Genital Mutilation refers to any procedure involving partial or total removal of external female genitalia or other injuries to female genital organs for cultural or other non-medical reasons. The terminology used for this procedure has evolved.
When the practice first gained international attention, it was dubbed “female circumcision.” (This term is frequently used in Eastern and Northern Africa to describe FGM type I). However, “female circumcision” has been chastised for drawing parallels with male circumcision and confusing the two distinct practices.
Many Eastern and Southern African countries encourage male circumcision to reduce HIV transmission to add to the confusion. FGM, on the other hand, can lead to a higher risk of HIV transmission.
Some argue that the term obscures the severe physical and psychological consequences of genital cutting on women. The United Nations Population Fund discourages using “female circumcision” because the health consequences of male and female circumcision are very different.
A variety of women’s health and human rights organisations use the term “female genital mutilation.” It distinguishes itself from male circumcision. The term “mutilation” emphasises the gravity of the act and reinforces that it violates women’s and girls’ fundamental human rights.
This expression gained popularity in the late 1970s, and it has been used in several United Nations conference documents and as a policy and advocacy tool since 1994. For example, the United Nations Member States clearly stated in Resolution 65/170 that the term “female genital mutilation” should refer to this harmful practice.
Female Genital Mutilation in India is always associated with religion. But is it so? Is there another important culprit at play: patriarchy? When will we put an end to this inhuman & traumatic practice? @equalitynow @sdivya91 https://t.co/kfajEWjOnX
— Youth Ki Awaaz (@YouthKiAwaaz) February 9, 2022
The term “female genital cutting” was coined in the late 1990s, partly due to dissatisfaction with “female genital mutilation.” However, there is concern that the term “mutilation” may be considered derogatory by some communities or imply that parents or practitioners perform this procedure maliciously.
Some are concerned that using the term “female genital mutilation” will alienate practising communities or even cause a backlash, potentially increasing the number of girls subjected to the practice.
FGM is believed to have affected an estimated 200 million girls and women alive today; however, rates of FGM are rising as a result of global population growth. Girls and women undergoing FGM live primarily in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Arab States.
But FGM is also practised in some Asian, Eastern European, and Latin American countries. Migrant populations also use it in Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand. If current FGM practices continue, 68 million girls will be subjected to FGM between 2015 and 2030 in the 25 countries where FGM is routinely practised, and more recent data are available.
It was estimated in 2019 that 4.1 million girls were at risk of FGM. This number of girls cut each year is expected to rise to 4.6 million by 2030. COVID-19 increased the vulnerability of girls and women, particularly those at risk of FGM, in 2020 and 2022.
The pandemic has exacerbated gender inequalities, economic disparities, and health risks faced by women and girls and disrupted prevention programmes aimed at ending FGM and other harmful practices. According to UNFPA, COVID-19 could result in two million cases of FGM occurring over the next decade that would otherwise have been avoided, resulting in a 33% reduction in progress toward ending FGM practice.
Female genital mutilation is practised by the Dawoodi Bohra Muslim community in India and other smaller Bohra sub-sects such as the Suleimani and Alavi Bohras. This community’s ancestors and ideologies can be traced back to 10th and 11th century Egypt and Yemen. While it is a small community in India, it has a population of over 500,000 Indians.
In fact, according to a Sahiyo study, 80 percent of girls in this community had undergone FGM. Furthermore, 66% of them were between 6 and 7. Most khatna procedures were carried out by traditional cutters, also known as “mullanis” (female Muslim religious leaders). However, FGM was also performed by healthcare professionals.
Traditional cultural practices reflect the values and beliefs that community members have held for generations. Every social group in the world has its own set of traditional cultural rules and beliefs. Some benefit all members while others harm a specific group, such as women.
Female genital mutilation (FGM); forced feeding of women; early marriage; the various taboos or practices that prevent women from controlling their fertility; nutritional taboos and traditional birth practices; son preference and its implications for the status of the girl child; female infanticide; early pregnancy; and dowry price are examples of harmful traditional practices.
Despite their harmful nature and violation of international human rights laws, such practices continue because they are not challenged and take on a moral halo in the eyes of those who engage in them.
The international community has become aware of the need to achieve gender equality and the fact that an equitable society cannot be achieved if the fundamental human rights of half of humanity, namely women, continue to be denied and violated.
However, the sad reality is that harmful traditional practices have been carried out for the benefit of men. Female sexual control by men and economic and political subordination of women perpetuates women’s inferior status and paralyses structural and attitudinal changes required to end gender inequality.