Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) encompasses all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. Deeply rooted in gender inequality, the practice violates human rights and physical integrity. The World Health Organization classifies FGM into four distinct types:
Prevalence varies widely across regions, persisting mostly in parts of Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Medical personnel sometimes perform the procedure, a dangerous trend known as medicalization that wrongly legitimizes a harmful act.
Tradition serves as a powerful anchor for FGM in many communities. People view the practice as an age-old custom that must be preserved to honor ancestors and maintain cultural identity. Families fear social exclusion, ridicule, and ostracism if they refuse to conform. In these settings, undergoing the procedure marks a girl's transition into womanhood, often accompanied by elaborate ceremonies and communal celebrations. Abandoning the practice means breaking away from collective heritage, which creates immense psychological pressure on parents and young girls alike.
A major underlying motivation for FGM is the desire to control female sexuality. Communities practicing this believe that removing parts of the external genitalia, particularly the clitoris, will reduce a woman's sexual desire and promiscuity. This suppression is thought to ensure premarital virginity and marital fidelity. Male-dominated societies often view uncontrolled female sexual desire as a threat to family honor and lineage certainty. By curbing sexual pleasure, the practice aims to render women submissive and compliant to patriarchal expectations.
Although no major holy book mandates FGM, religious misconceptions heavily sustain the practice. Local religious leaders or communities frequently misinterpret texts from Islam or Christianity, claiming that the procedure is a divine requirement for cleanliness or modesty. In reality, FGM predates both religions and is practiced across diverse faiths, including traditional indigenous beliefs. Correcting these theological errors through interfaith dialogue and collaboration with local clerics is vital for changing community attitudes.
In many societies where FGM is prevalent, an uncircumcised girl faces severe stigmatization. She may be labeled unclean, promiscuous, or unmarriageable. Marriage is often essential for a woman's economic survival and social standing. Consequently, mothers promote the practice for their daughters out of deep protective instincts, ensuring the girls can secure husbands and maintain respectable social status within the community. Without marriage prospects, women may face poverty and complete social isolation.
Various aesthetic and hygienic myths support the continuation of FGM. Some groups believe that female genitalia are inherently dirty, malevolent, or masculine, and that cutting away parts makes the body clean and feminine. Other beliefs link the practice directly to enhanced fertility or the survival of newborns, asserting that a baby will die if its head touches the clitoris during birth. Nurses and midwives encounter these deeply ingrained myths regularly and must address them with patience, factual health education, and respect for local concerns.
Nurses play a frontline role in eliminating FGM and caring for affected women. Clinical responsibilities include managing immediate complications like hemorrhage and infection, as well as long-term issues such as chronic pain, dyspareunia, and obstetric difficulties during labor. Beyond clinical care, nurses must act as educators and advocates. Effective eradication requires community-led education programs that engage traditional rulers, religious leaders, and young people. By fostering open, non-judgmental dialogue, healthcare professionals can help communities voluntarily abandon the practice while supporting survivors with compassionate, holistic care.