Tostan Resources Resource Pages: FGC

Tostan Publications

Newsletters

Tostan in the News

Press Room

Evaluations

Resource Pages

Glossary of Key Terms

Overview

Sometimes referred to as female genital mutilation (FGM), female circumcision, or FGM/C, female genital cutting (FGC) is practiced on two to three million women and girls each year. It is prevalent in 28 countries in Africa, as well as certain areas of the Middle East and Asia. The practice is also found among immigrant populations living in Europe, the US, and other countries.

The WHO has identified four types of female genital cutting:

Type 1 (also referred to as clitoridectomy) – cutting away of the clitoral hood, with or without removal of all or part of the clitoris.
Type 2 (also referred to as excision) – removal of the clitoris, together with part or all of the labia minora (the inner vaginal lips). This is the most widely practiced form.
Type 3 (also known as infibulation) – removal of part or all of the external genitalia (clitoris, labia minora and labia majora), and stitching or narrowing of the vaginal opening, leaving a very small opening, about the size of a matchstick, to allow for the flow of urine and menstrual blood.
Type 4 covers a variety of procedures including: pricking, piercing or incision of the clitoris and/or labia; stretching the clitoris and/or labia; burning of the clitoris and surrounding tissues; scraping of the vaginal orifice or cutting of the vagina; insertion of substances into the vagina to cause bleeding or to tighten or narrow it.

Immediate complications resulting from FGC include severe pain, infections, and shock and hemorrhage that can lead to death. The use of a single unsterilized instrument in cutting many girls may facilitate the transmission of HIV/AIDS. Some longer-term consequences include infertility and a dramatically elevated risk of labor complications such as hemorrhage, infection, maternal death, and stillbirth or brain damage of the baby.