Abstract
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a scourge perpetrated on young girls for a number of traditional reasons, usually centred around the preservation of chastity and purity. It is usually carried out in non-sterile conditions with primitive instruments, frequently without anaesthesia. There are often terrible and serious complications, and these have lifelong consequences.
Many people believe that FGM is a Muslim requirement. It is not. It predates the birth of the prophet Mohammed, although it is still carried out in large numbers in Islamic countries such as Egypt, Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan. It is clear, however, that no reference to or requirement for FGM appears in the Qu‘ran, which specifically forbids harming the body of a woman. It is thus that the raison d’être for FGM should be challenged: it is not helpful, it is not necessary, it is not a religious requirement, and it does not fulfil its supposed purpose. Furthermore, the girls and women on whom it is inflicted receive neither full explanation how it is done or what complications might ensue, and they are rarely given an informed choice in the matter.
The alternative name of female genital cutting is a euphemism that seeks to hide the deleterious effects of the practice, and so should be abandoned. In Kenya, where FGM is now illegal, the Maasai Warriors are cricketers who actively campaign against the practice. 1 In fact 17 African countries 2 have legislated against FGM, but this obviously does not stop it happening. In fact, it may drive the practice further behind the scenes and the public eye.
The increasing distribution of people around the globe means that women with the consequences of FGM are no longer confined to sub-Saharan or Arabic countries. Indeed FGM is also practised clandestinely in many developed countries, despite it being outlawed. The treatment and surgical correction of FGM is complicated, varied and difficult. We publish a comprehensive leading article on the subject, especially referring to female sexual dysfunction, and we look forward to the time when practitioners may be taught courses how to deal with sufferers sympathetically, objectively, and with understanding, learning and expertise. For them and their carers, the development of an FGM centre or centres must be a priority.