What is Female Genital Mutilation?
Female Genital Mutilation or FGM is a human rights abuse found mostly in the developing world, but it is seen worldwide. It is done to make a woman chaste and therefore more desirable for marriage, the only option for many women.
There are varying degrees of mutilation all of which cause both mental and physical trauma. 140 million women worldwide have been subjected to this abuse. 2 million young girls are at risk per year.
FGM contributes to a portion of the unnecessary maternal and infant mortality rate in the world. It makes pregnancy, labor and delivery much riskier.
Educating women and the leaders of communities and villages globally will be the only way to end FGM in the future.