Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is any procedure causing harm, injury or alteration to female genital organs for non-medical purposes. FGM is a particular threat to young girls around the world, and the WHO estimates that over 125 million women and girls have undergone FGM.¹ Young women who undergo FGM face extreme pain, shock, hemorrhaging, tetanus or sepsis immediately following the operation, and face long-term consequences such as urinary tract infections, infertility, pain during intercourse, an increased risk of childbirth complications and death, and often require later surgeries.² The nations with the highest rates of FGM are Somalia, Guinea, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Mali, Sierra Leone and Sudan — in each nation, 88 percent or more of women have been subject to FGM.³