By Dr.Chelsia Bhatti
FGM. Female Genital Mutilation. Other terms that describe this heinous practice are Female Genital Cutting or Female Circumcision. So what exactly is FGM? The WHO defines it as the following: “All procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.” When I first learned about this practice, like many of my readers, I was absolutely shocked that something so abhorrent and harmful could be done women and young girls, some as early as infancy.
You might think that FGM occurs in only the smallest, most primitive unknown communities of the world, which are far away from civilization and where education is very limited. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth. FGM is performed in at least 30 countries in Africa, parts of the Middle East, Asia, and even in the UK, Canada and the United States. This makes it all of our problem. FGM is not a one time offence against a defenseless child or woman. The scars that each woman and child bear are lifelong- physical, emotional, psychological- that is if they even survive the initial trauma. There are over 125 million women and girls currently in our world who have been subjected to FGM. Join us in our fight to stop this unspeakable practice. Join us in being a voice for these victims. Follow my blog regularly to be kept up to date and to learn more about FGM.