Female genital mutilation (FGM), also known as female cutting, is a harmful practice that violates the human rights of women and girls. FGM perpetuates negative gender based stereotypes, infringes on children’s right to special protections, and results in serious physical and psychological health consequences.
International human rights bodies identify FGM as a practice that jeopardises the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and girls and call upon all states to enact measures for its abandonment.
Definition
The World Health Organisation defines FGM as any procedure that involves the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs, for non-medical reasons.
Consequences
FGM has serious health consequences.
Short term health consequences can include haemorrhage, infections such as tetanus and HIV, failure of the wound to heal, urine retention, injury to adjacent tissue, fracture and dislocation of limbs, or death as a result of the above. Long term health consequences can include painful sex, recurrent urinary tract infections, painful periods, potential trauma during childbirth, infertility, incontinence and difficulty urinating, chronic pelvic inflammatory disease, sexual dysfunction and psychological trauma.
Prevalence
While the exact number of women and girls worldwide who have undergone FGM remains unknown, at least 200 million women and girls in 30 countries have been subjected to the practice. In Ireland, it is estimated that 5,277 women and girls have experienced FGM.1 This represents an increase of roughly 1,500 on the previous estimate of 3,780 women and girls.
Relevance of FGM in Ireland
As women and families from countries with high prevalence of FGM continue to migrate to Ireland, there is a corresponding need for appropriate health services and policies. Women and girls who have undergone FGM have specific sexual and reproductive health needs. As a service provider and a women’s health advocate, the IFPA is committed to improving sexual and reproductive health services for women and girls who have undergone FGM.
FGM and the Law
FGM is illegal in Ireland under the Criminal Justice (Female Genital Mutilation Act) 2012. This legislation was the culmination of several years of efforts by the Steering Committee from the National Plan of Action to Address FGM. Under the Act, it is a criminal offence for a person living in Ireland to perform FGM or to take a girl to another country to undergo FGM. The maximum penalty is a fine of up to €10,000 or imprisonment for up to 14 years or both.
FGM Treatment Service
To meet this need, in 2014, the IFPA opened Ireland’s first FGM Treatment Service. Based in our Dublin city centre clinic, the service offers free specialised medical care and counselling to women and girls who have experienced FGM.
1 Luk Van Baelen, Livia Ortensi & Els Leye (2016): Estimates of first generation women and girls with female genital mutilation in the European Union, Norway and Switzerland, The European Journal of Contraception & Reproductive Health Care, DOI: 10.1080/13625187.2016.1234597
FGM: Information for Healthcare Professionals Working in Ireland (AkiDwA, 2nd Edition, June 2013)