FGM in Africa: A Grievous Crime Against Womanhood

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)

remains one of the most painful contradictions confronting Africa today. Sustained in the name of tradition, purity, culture, or marriageability, it is a practice that continues to strip millions of African girls of their bodily autonomy, dignity, and the full experience of womanhood. Far beyond a cultural ritual, FGM stands as a grievous crime against womanhood.

FGM refers to all procedures involving the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs, carried out for non-medical reasons. It has no health benefits. Across Africa, the practice is commonly performed on young girls, often between infancy and the age of 15, with many cases occurring before the age of five.

The different forms of FGM practice across some African communities may include excision, which involves the removal of part or all of the clitoris and sometimes the labia; and infibulation, considered the most severe form, which involves cutting and repositioning the labia to narrow the vaginal opening, sometimes alongside removal of the clitoris. Other forms may involve pricking, piercing, scraping, or cauterizing the female genital tissue.

Regardless of the form it takes, each procedure carries significant health risks and long-term consequences.

Globally, over 230 million girls

and women are living with the consequences of FGM, and each year, approximately 4 million girls are at risk. Despite legal prohibitions in several African countries, FGM is still reported in at least 92 to 94 countries worldwide.

In Africa, FGM is deeply embedded in social belief systems that prioritize conformity over individual rights. It is often justified as a way to preserve chastity, reduce sexual desire, prepare girls for marriage, or protect family honor. In some communities, it is presented as a rite of passage into womanhood or falsely linked to religious obligation. These explanations, however, reflect entrenched systems of control over the female body, where a woman’s value is tied to perceived purity rather than her humanity.

The medical implications of FGM are severe and enduring. In the immediate aftermath, victims may suffer extreme pain, excessive bleeding, shock, infections, and in some cases, death. Many procedures are carried out without anesthesia and in unhygienic conditions. Long-term effects include chronic pain, urinary and menstrual problems, sexual dysfunction, infertility, and serious complications during childbirth that place both mother and child at risk. For many African women, these health challenges persist throughout their lives.

Beyond physical injury, FGM leaves deep psychological scars. Survivors often live with trauma, anxiety, depression, and lasting emotional distress. Intimacy may become associated with pain rather than connection. A biological design intended for wholeness, sensation, and reproduction is altered in ways that deny women the freedom to fully inhabit their bodies. In this sense, FGM does not only wound flesh; it disrupts the natural experience of womanhood itself.

When a girl is subjected to FGM without consent, often before she can speak or understand, her right to ownership of her own body is taken from her. This loss of autonomy places FGM squarely within the framework of human rights violations, infringing on the rights to health, security, dignity, and freedom from cruel and degrading treatment.

Although many African governments have criminalized FGM, enforcement remains uneven. In some areas, the practice continues quietly, protected by silence and tradition. This reality underscores a critical truth: laws alone are not enough without sustained community engagement and social change.

The way forward in Africa lies in education, open dialogue, and empowerment. Communities must be equipped with accurate information about the medical and human consequences of FGM. Girls must be supported through education and economic opportunities, reducing their vulnerability to harmful practices. Traditional and religious leaders play a crucial role in challenging long-held misconceptions, while governments must strengthen enforcement and provide support systems for survivors.

Ending FGM is not an attack on African culture; it is a defense of African girls and women. Every girl deserves to grow into womanhood whole, with her body and dignity intact. FGM remains a grievous crime against womanhood because it takes what is natural, and silences what is human.

SAY "NO" TO FGM!