Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and It’s Health Implications

Abstract

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a deeply rooted cultural practice involving the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia for non-medical purposes. It is internationally recognized as a violation of women’s and girl’s human rights and remain a significant global public health concern. Despite decades of advocacy, policy reform, and community interventions, FGM persists across more than 30 countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, as well as among migrant populations in Western nations. The practice is often justified by tradition, social conformity, or perceived religious requirements; however, it results in serious and enduring health consequences. It is therefore recommended among other measures that: legal and policy measures be taken; enact and enforce laws prohibiting FGM, ensuring penalties for practitioners, protection for at-risk girls. Health Sector Response: train healthcare providers to recognize, manage, and report FGM cases sensitively and confidentially, integrate FGM education into medical, nursing, and midwifery curricula, discourage medicalization of FGM (when performed by health workers), as this legitimizes the practice.