Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) involves the partial or total removal of external female genitalia for non-therapeutic reasons. Historically performed by traditional practitioners using unsterilized instruments, a dangerous shift has occurred over recent decades: medicalisation of FGM. This refers to situations where FGM is practiced by health care personnel, such as doctors, nurses, midwives, or trained birth attendants, either in public clinics or private homes. Practitioners often justify this practice under the false assumption that performing the procedure in a sterile environment with local anesthesia reduces physical harm. However, medicalisation normalizes a human rights violation and makes health workers complicit in gender-based violence. The act remains medically unnecessary, harmful, and internationally condemned regardless of who performs it.
Communities persist with FGM due to deep-seated patriarchal structures, cultural identity, and myths surrounding female chastity. When families face legal bans or fear traditional complications, they turn to medical practitioners to bypass safety concerns.
Medicalised FGM violates international human rights laws, national criminal codes, and professional nursing ethics. The World Health Organization (WHO), International Council of Nurses (ICN), and national nursing councils explicitly forbid health personnel from participating in any form of FGM.
Regardless of whether FGM is performed with a rusty blade in a village or a scalp in a sterile clinic, the physical and mental consequences are severe. A sterile environment does not stop scar tissue formation, chronic pain, or psychological trauma.
| Complication Type | Specific Clinical Manifestations |
|---|---|
| Physical | Hemorrhage, severe shock, recurrent urinary tract infections, and tetanus. |
| Reproductive | Dyspareunia, obstructed labor, obstetric fistula, and infertility. |
| Psychological | Post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic anxiety, depression, and flashbacks. |
Nurses occupy a frontline position in community health, making them powerful agents against FGM and its medicalisation. Prevention requires active community engagement, culturally sensitive education, and fierce advocacy. Nurses must educate pregnant women, mothers, and community elders about the true medical dangers of the practice, debunking the myth that clinical cuts are safe. In clinical settings, nurses screen girls and women during routine antenatal and pediatric visits to identify those at risk. When a minor faces imminent danger, nurses collaborate with social welfare workers and law enforcement to protect the child while maintaining professional confidentiality and ethical safety standards.
Caring for FGM survivors demands clinical competence, deep empathy, and a trauma-informed approach. Many survivors feel shame or fear judgment during physical examinations. Nurses must perform genital assessments with utmost gentleness, explaining every step before touching the patient. Treatment often involves managing chronic infections, providing pain relief for dyspareunia, and supporting women through difficult labors. Psychological support is equally crucial; nurses must actively listen without judgment and refer patients to specialized mental health counselors when post-traumatic stress or severe depression interferes with daily life.