February 6: Standing Against FGM – What to know and why it matters
February 6th is the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation– this practice has hurt over 230 million girls and women worldwide and as of 2024, 4.4 million girls are subject to risk each year. FGM is a blatant human rights violation and is deeply rooted in inequality, extreme sexism, and patriarchal societal ideologies– unquestionably a global women’s health concern. Here’s what to know:
What is female genital mutilation and who is affected?
According to the WHO, female genital mutilation (FGM) “comprises all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons”. As of 2007, WHO classifies it into four categories, here are their brief descriptions:
Type I: Partial/total removal of the clitoral glans
Type II: Partial/total removal of the clitoral glans and the labia minora
Type III: Narrowing of the vaginal opening by cutting and repositioning the labia minora/majora
Type IV: All other harmful procedures to the female genitalia
Anatomical diagrams can be found here (***Trigger Warning***), which depict the severe physical harm and inhumane nature of FGM.
Female genital mutilation is documented in 92 countries around the world. The most documented cases are in North and East Africa, the Middle East (i.e. Israel, United Arab Emirates), followed by Asian countries such as India, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
Credit: UNICEF, 2013.
In Canada, FGM has been found to be practiced among immigrant and refugee communities where their countries of origin practice FGM. It is estimated that nationally, between 95,000 - 161,000 girls and women are at risk or have been subjected to FGM.
“There are also people who want to practice it [FGM/C] here in Canada. It’s something we don’t talk about, but that’s the reality (…) one woman told me ‘you know, her husband sent the daughters to Africa. They were circumcised.’ We don’t talk about it, but a lot of girls here aren’t protected.”
“Who could I talk to? It was really hard to accept that nothing is being done for Canadian women who have already been through it. There’s a complete wall of silence around this issue here. People keep their hands off, saying, ‘That’s their tradition,’ and that attitude is wrong, wrong, wrong. That’s why FGM has survived hundreds of years”
Why does FGM occur and what are the effects?
A common misconception of FGM is that it has religious origins. In fact, the practice arose as a social norm across multiple continents even before Christianity and Islam. However, many perpetrators believe FGM to have religious backing, even though no scriptures supporting FGM have actually been found. Present-day, it is a primary means of psychosexual control of women (considered as a rite for womanhood, marriage).
Not one of these reasons include any medical value– there is not a single health benefit to FGM. It only inflicts negative physical and mental harm to the victim. Immediate consequences include extreme pain, haemorrhages, infections, shock, and even death. Long-term effects include urinary & menstrual problems, increased risk of complications during childbirth, and mental health issues.
Even healthcare systems do not protect women and girls from FGM. Medicalized FGM refers to when a healthcare worker performs FGM instead of traditional community elders. This does not make the practice any less of a human rights violation, and still causes the same mental and physical pain as non-medicalized FGM.
Credit: "My Grandmother Called It the Three Feminine Sorrows" poem by Dahabo Musa, from the book Female Circumcision
“My two sisters, myself and our mother went to visit our family back home. I assumed we were going for a holiday. A bit later they told us that we were going to be infibulated. The day before our operation was due to take place, another girl was infibulated and she died because of the operation. We were so scared and didn’t want to suffer the same fate. But our parents told us it was an obligation, so we went. We fought back; we really thought we were going to die because of the pain. You have one woman holding your mouth so you won’t scream, two holding your chest and the other two holding your legs. After we were infibulated, we had rope tied across our legs so it was like we had to learn to walk again. We had to try to go to the toilet. If you couldn’t pass water in the next 10 days something was wrong. We were lucky, I suppose. We gradually recovered and didn’t die like the other girl. But the memory and the pain never really go away.”
What can we do?
Healthcare providers, being on the front line, should be readily prepared to provide appropriate care, especially when seeing new female patients. Detailed ways to provide culturally sensitive care and implement narrative medicine are outlined here.
Whether you are an aspiring healthcare worker or not, everyone has the ability to help the movement against FGM. One list of ideas on how to help can be found here, including using the hashtag #EndFGM and familiarising yourself with general information/signs (the sources in this blog are good places to start!).
Since the passing of WHA61.16 in 2008, organizations like the World Health Assembly, United Nations, World Health Organization, UNFPA, and UNICEF have been aiming for total elimination of FGM by 2030. Compared to 30 years ago, girls are one third less likely to be subjected to FGM, but progress still needs to be quicker to meet the intended goal.
I became aware of FGM by watching the autobiographical movie Desert Flower, then reading the autobiography of the same name. The author is an incredibly courageous and resilient person, and I would encourage this hard but eye-opening read.
Further Reading, suggested by fellow blog committee member, Christina:
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/husband-stitch-is-not-just-myth
https://www.health.com/condition/pregnancy/what-is-a-husband-stitch
By Chloe Wang (she/her/hers) | Blog Committee Member
References
Abdalla, R. (2006). Chapter 9. “My Grandmother Called It the Three Feminine Sorrows”: The Struggle of Women Against Female Circumcision in Somalia. In R. Abusharaf (Ed.), Female Circumcision: Multicultural Perspectives (pp. 187-204). Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. https://doi.org/10.9783/9780812201024.187
Ending Female Genital Mutilation by 2030 (n.d.). United Nations. https://www.un.org/en/observances/female-genital-mutilation-day
Female genital mutilation (2024, February 5). World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/female-genital-mutilation
Female genital mutilation/cutting. (2016, January). Caring for Kids New to Canada. https://kidsnewtocanada.ca/screening/fgm
Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting In Canada (2023, April 27). Equality Now: A just world for women and girls. https://equalitynow.org/resource/female-genital-mutilation-cutting-in-canada/
Female genital mutilation (FGM) (2024, March). UNICEF Data. https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-protection/female-genital-mutilation/
Female genital mutilation (FGM) frequently asked questions (2024, March). United Nations Population Fund. https://www.unfpa.org/resources/female-genital-mutilation-fgm-frequently-asked-questions
FIVE WAYS TO HELP END FGM/C (2021, February 6). The Global Goals. https://www.globalgoals.org/news/five-ways-to-help-end-fgm/
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948, December 10). United Nations. https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights
World Health Assembly (61st). (2008). Female genital mutilation. World Health Organization. https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/23532
4. FGM in Canada (n.d.). Ontario Human Rights Commission | Commission ontarienne des droits de la personne. https://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/policy-female-genital-mutilation-fgm/4-fgm-canada
