Impact of Age on Harm Risks of Female Genital Mutilation: Analysis of Demographic and Health Surveys

This paper analyses Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), a traditional practice in many cultures in Africa (and countries with an African diaspora). FGM “is widely recognised as a violation of the human rights of girls and women” [1]. This paper follows mainstream academia: considering FGM as a type of violence against females – with harmful effects in both the short and long term [2]. Many researchers reported serious medical problems caused by FGM [1]. FGM is often viewed as a way women are controlled, benefitting men [1]. However, FGM is sometimes seen as a way an African person can assert their ethnic identity [3]. Perhaps all readers can agree on the need for more information: Shell-Duncan et al. [2] wrote “silence on the topic no longer seems to be an option, and the choice that remains is between informed and noninformed discussion”. This paper investigates how the risk of experiencing FGM varies, using data from household surveys in eleven countries. In particular, it focuses on age at which FGM occurs as a key factor in understanding harmful effects of FGM. It would be desirable for more women with personal experience of FGM to write on this subject. “Most studies on female genital cutting (FGC) in Africa have been conducted by “outsiders,” individuals who are not from the societies they analyze and who have no personal experience of any form of the operation [...] “insider” voices from initiated/”circumcised” African women scholars can go a long way toward providing fresh approaches to our understanding of these practices and their continued significance to most African women” [4]. More research on FGM is needed: this could be carried out by victims, or non-victims, or – preferably – both.