Genital Mutilation...

This is some information I found on the topic from the World Health Organization (WHO).

Definition

Female genital mutilation comprises all procedures involving partial or total removal of the female external genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.

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Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)

Prevalence and age

WHO estimates that between 100 million and 140 million girls and women worldwide have been subjected to one of the first three types of female genital mutilation. Estimates based on the most recent prevalence data indicate that 91.5 million girls and women above 9 years old in Africa are currently living with the consequences of female genital mutilation. There are an estimated 3 million girls in Africa at risk of undergoing female genital mutilation every year.

Type I, II and III female genital mutilation have been documented in 28 countries in Africa, and in a few countries in Asia and the Middle East. Growing migration has increased the number of girls and women living outside their country of origin who have undergone female genital mutilation or who may be at risk of being subjected to the practice.

Estimates on prevalence of female genital mutilation come from large-scale, national surveys, which have so far been conducted in 18 African countries, asking women aged 15-49 years if they have themselves undergone the practice. The prevalence varies considerably, both between and within regions and countries, with ethnicity as the most decisive factor. In seven countries the national prevalence is almost universal (more than 85%); four countries have high prevalence (60 to 85%); medium prevalence (30 to 40%) is found in seven countries; and low prevalence (0.6 to 28.2%) is found in nine countries. There is often marked variation in prevalence in different parts of any given country.

Figure 1: FGM prevalence among women aged 15-49

Source: Female genital mutilation/cutting : a statistical exploration. New York, NY, UNICEF; 2005.

Note: This map dos not reflect a position by UNICEF on the legal status of any country or territory or the delimitation of any frontiers. Source: DHS and MICS.

Click here for bigger map

The type of procedure performed also varies, mainly with ethnicity. Current estimates indicate that around 90% of female genital mutilation cases include Types I or II and cases where girls' genitals were 'nicked' but no flesh removed (Type IV), and about 10% are Type III.

The procedure is generally carried out on girls under the age of 15 years, although obtaining data on female genital mutilation prevalence in that age group poses several methodological challenges, not least of which is ascertaining if and how the procedure was carried out. Recent surveys have found that, in Egypt, 90% of girls who had undergone female genital mutilation were between five and 14 years of age when subjected to the procedure, 50% of those in Ethiopia, Mali and Mauritania were under five years of age, and 76% of those in the Yemen were not more than two weeks old. In some communities, women who are about to be married or are pregnant with their first child or who have just given birth also undergo the practice.

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Between 100 and 140 million girls and women in the world are estimated to have undergone such procedures, and 3 million girls are estimated to be at risk of undergoing female genital mutilation every year. Female genital mutilation has been documented in 28 countries in Africa and in several countries in Asia and the Middle East. Some forms of the practice have also been reported from other countries, including among certain ethnic groups in Central and South America. There is also evidence of increasing numbers of girls and women living outside their place of origin, including in North America and western Europe, who have undergone or may be at risk of undergoing female genital mutilation.

Extensive work by local, national and international actors over the past two to three decades has resulted in progress on several fronts. The practice is internationally recognized as a violation of human rights, and many countries have put in place policies and legislation to ban it. The number of women from practising areas who do not want to continue the practice is increasing, and there are indications that the prevalence is declining in some countries, and that it is less prevalent in younger than in older age groups. Despite these successes however, the overall decline has been very slow. Hence, to accelerate the process of abandonment of the practice, there is an urgent need for increased and improved work by all actors, since there is evidence now that we know what is necessary to stimulate large-scale and speedy abandonment. Some highly successful projects, increased knowledge about the practice itself and the reasons for its continuation as well as experiences with a vast variety of interventions, some of which have proven very successful, suggest that it will be possible to significantly reduce the prevalence within one generation. This, combined with advocacy at the international level, has created a momentum suggesting that such a change is possible, and that the willingness to invest the necessary resources can be achieved.