epublishing store: Intro

Sexual Health eBook Volume3
Chapter 12

Female Genital Cutting: Understanding the Tradition, Nawal M. Nour

Female genital cutting (FGC) is a practice deeply entrenched in culture, tradition, and controversy. It is prevalent in approximately 28 African countries and a small number of Asian countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that over 130 million women worldwide have undergone some form of FGC ( Female Genital Mutilation, 1997). The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF, 2006) has reported that approximately 2 million girls are at risk of undergoing FGC each year. The consequences of this practice in terms of health, psychosocial well-being, and sexuality depend on the type of circumcision performed and the severity of the procedure (particularly the amount of tissue removed). There are many reasons underlying the existence of this practice, and many more complicated issues enable it to persist.

FGC is no longer unique to Africa and Asia (if indeed it ever was, given the European/U.S. clitoridectomy history, which will be described later). Women from countries where this practice is prevalent have been and are still immigrating to the West, many as refugees from war-torn, famine-stricken, or politically unstable countries. The United States government acknowledged the risk of FGC on its own soil by making the procedure a criminal offense. In September 1996, Congress passed 18 U.S.C. § 116, effective March 1997, making it a federal crime to perform FGC on anyone under the age of 18. Penalties for violating the law are a fine, imprisonment for up to five years, or both; non-citizens who violate the law can also be deported. Congress then directed the Department of Health and Human Services to estimate the number of women and girls living in the United States with genital cutting. The initial report, published by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), estimated that in 1990,

168,000 girls and women living in the United States went through or were at risk for FGC (Jones, Smith, Kieke, & Wilcox, 1997). After a recent review of the 2000 U.S. Census data, the estimate increased 35 percent to 230,000 women and girls who went through undergone or are at risk for FGC. Over one-fourth (27%) of these women are under the age of 18. The states with the highest number of circumcised immigrants and refugees are California, New York, and Maryland (Brigham and Women’s Hospital, n.d.). Especially given the rapid growth of this population, a deeper knowledge of the history, cultural beliefs, and related health complications is necessary.

This chapter will address various aspects of FGC. After defining FGC and its different types, it will delve into the controversial topic of how to refer to this practice. I will then describe the historical background of FGC and the cultural beliefs that perpetuate it. Various ethical arguments will be explored. Finally, I will cover the many health and sexual consequences of FGC.

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