Why fgm is practised

What is clear, however, is that FGM is a manifestation of deeply entrenched gender inequality, a fact recognised by the WHO. So, what do we know about the origins of FGM? Although the origins are obscure there has been anthropological and historical research to help us understand how the practice came about. Although FGM is practised in some communities in the belief that it is a religious requirement, research shows that FGM pre-dates Islam and Christianity.

Some researchers have traced the practice to Egypt in the fifth-century BC and argue that the geographical distribution of FGM suggests that it originated on the west coast of the Red Sea. But there are no acceptable reasons that justify FGM. It's a harmful practice that has no health benefits.

FGM usually happens to girls whose mothers, grandmothers or extended female family members have had FGM themselves, or if their father comes from a community where it's carried out. Girls are sometimes taken abroad for FGM, but they may not be aware this is the reason for their travel. Girls are more at risk of FGM being carried out during the summer holidays, as this allows more time for them to "heal" before they return to school.

If you think there's a risk of this happening to you, you can download the Statement Opposing FGM and take it with you on holiday to show your family. Girls who were born in the UK or are resident here but whose families originate from an FGM-practising community are at greater risk of FGM happening to them. The summer holidays are when many young girls are taken abroad, often to their family's birth country, to have FGM performed.

If you're worried about FGM, print out this statement, take it abroad with you and show it to your family. UK website, which is also available in other languages. Habari zaidi kuhusu ukeketaji wa wanawake — Swahili version PDF, kb. Page last reviewed: 20 May Next review due: 20 May It's illegal in the UK and is child abuse. It's very painful and can seriously harm the health of women and girls. It can also cause long-term problems with sex, childbirth and mental health.

This often includes stitching to leave only a small gap. This practice is not only extremely painful and distressing, it's also an ongoing infection risk: the closing over of the vagina and the urethra leaves women with a very small opening through which to pass menstrual fluid and urine.

In fact, sometimes the opening can be so small that it needs to be cut open to allow sexual intercourse or birth - often causing complications which harm both mother and baby. Type 4: This covers all other harmful procedures like pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterising the clitoris or genital area. The most frequently cited reasons for carrying out FGM are social acceptance, religion, misconceptions about hygiene, a means of preserving a girl or woman's virginity, making the woman "marriageable" and enhancing male sexual pleasure.

In some cultures FGM is regarded as a rite of passage into adulthood, and considered a pre-requisite for marriage. Although there are no hygienic advantages or health benefits to FGM, practising communities believe that women's vaginas need to be cut - and women who have not undergone FGM are regarded as unhealthy, unclean or unworthy. Often it's performed against their will, and health professionals worldwide consider it a form of violence against women and a violation of their human rights.

When FGM is inflicted on children, it is also seen as a form of child abuse. Many of the women surveyed by Unicef and the WHO said it was taboo to even discuss FGM in their communities for fear of attracting criticism from outsiders, or - in those places where FGM is illegal - for fear it would lead to prosecution of family or community members.

The above map was put together by The Woman Stats Project, who have collated research on the issue, including data from the UN and Unicef. According to a Unicef report carried out in 29 countries in Africa and the Middle East, the practice is still being widely carried out, despite the fact that 24 of these countries have legislation or some form of decrees against FGM.

In countries such as the UK, where FGM is illegal, expert and barrister Dr Charlotte Proudman says it is increasingly being performed on babies and infants.

Therefore it is "almost impossible to detect" as the girls are not in school or old enough to report it. Usually it is done by a traditional circumciser using a blade and without anaesthetic. Although internationally recognised as a human rights violation, about 68 million girls worldwide are at risk of it by In which countries is female circumcision practiced? It is also practiced in some countries in Asia and Latin America and among communities coming from these regions. Although it is illegal in the EU and some member states prosecute even when it performed outside the country, it is estimated that about , women living in Europe have been subjected to FGM and a further , girls are at a high risk in 13 European countries alone.

What are the reasons for female genital mutilation? FGM is mostly carried out on girls between infancy and It goes back to a mix of cultural and social reasons, such as social pressure and convention, beliefs that FGM has religious support or ideas of beauty and purity. The practice predates the rise of Christianity and Islam and reflects deep-rooted inequalities between the sexes.