Female Genital Cutting

Female genital cutting is a widespread practice in some parts of the world. It is usually performed on female infants, children or pubescent girls under non-sterile conditions without anesthesia. The extent of cutting varies from a small superficial skin cut to removal of the entire external female genitalia. Female genital cutting exposes a female to risk of serious infection and may cause sexual dysfunction, reproductive dysfunction or death from hemorrhage or sepsis. Unlike male circumcision, there are no known health benefits to female genital cutting. Female genital cutting should be condemned in the strongest possible terms and should not be tolerated by any healthcare practitioner, any agency responsible for public health or any government.