Table of Contents
What is a female circumcision?
Female genital mutilation (FGM) involves the partial or total removal of external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.
How does FGM affect childbirth?
What are the consequences for childbirth? A recent study found that, compared with women who had not been subjected to FGM, those who had undergone FGM faced a significantly greater risk of requiring a Caesarean section, an episiotomy and an extended hospital stay, and also of suffering post-partum haemorrhage.
What countries is FGM legal in?
Laws by country
| Country | Criminalised | Since |
|---|---|---|
| Uganda | Specific anti-FGM law : 22 | |
| United Arab Emirates | No | |
| United Kingdom | Specific anti-FGM law : 26 | 1985 |
| United States | Federal anti-FGM law Specific bans in 40 states | 96–18, 2021 |
What are the signs of breast ironing?
Some signs that a girl is at risk from breast ironing include:
- Unusual behaviour after an absence from school or college including depression, anxiety, aggression, becoming withdrawn.
- Reluctance in undergoing medical examinations.
What religion practices FGM?
FGM is practised predominantly within certain Muslim societies, but it also exists within some adjacent Christian and animist groups. The practice isn’t required by most forms of Islam, and fatwas have been issued forbidding FGM, favouring it, or leaving the decision to parents but advising against it.
What countries do breast ironing?
While studies have found that “breast ironing” is practiced in Chad, Guinea Bissau, Togo, and Benin, it is most common in Cameroon, where nearly a quarter of girls and women have had their breasts “ironed.” Cases have also been reported in the UK and as many as 1,000 girls from West African immigrant communities in the …
What countries practice breast ironing?
Where is it practiced? Breast ironing is practiced in all ten regions of Cameroon and has been reported in Benin, Ivory Coast, Chad, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Togo, Zimbabwe and Guinea-Conakry.