Governments must keep their promise to end FGM/C by 2030. But instead of declining, rates of FGM have increased by 15% in last 8 years
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"My journey on ending female genital mutilation/cutting did not begin in an office. Instead, my journey began when I knew where the shoe hurts most. So, speaking from a perspective of personal experience and pain, some years back when I was a very young girl, I was subjected to female genital mutilation/cutting. That was the first turning point of life because the pain and psychosocial trauma is so raw even today in my head. But now I take it as an opportunity to save more than a thousand girls that I have known and who have passed through my hand but never underwent the cut," said Catherine Menganyi HSC, nurse epidemiologist, and Co-Founder and Chapter Lead of Women in Global Health, Kenya. Catherine is a survivor of female genital mutilation/cutting and a powerful advocate to end it as well as all other forms of gender-based violence.
"As a survivor of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), and as a nurse-epidemiologist, I know the harmful effects that will be caused by it," said Catherine.
"Possible post-FGM/C complications include infections, long-term pain after child delivery, negative impact on women's sex lives and the emotional impacts and the distress that comes with women realising that it has been done on them. We have documented complications of type-one of female genital mutilation/cutting which is also happening in Asia, whose complications are of more severe form such as pain, genital swelling, haemorrhage, among others," said Safiya Riyaz, Programme Officer, The Asian-Pacific Resource & Research Centre for Women (ARROW) and coordinator, Asia Network to End FGM/C, Sri Lanka.
"Female genital mutilation/cutting is described by the World Health Organization (WHO) as all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. It is referred to by a range of terms but no matter what terminology we use, it is recognised internationally as a grave violation of human and child rights, particularly sexual and reproductive health and rights of girls and women and as a form of gender- based violence," added Safiya Riyaz.
Even if FGM/C is done medically, it violates medical ethics
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