Female Genital Mutilation

The partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs, for non-medical reasons, typically performed on girls between infancy and adolescence within communities where the practice is a deeply rooted social custom. It is recognized internationally as a violation of the human rights of girls and women and is classified by the World Health Organization according to the extent of tissue removed. Many countries with communities that practice it, including the United Kingdom and the United States, have enacted specific criminal statutes prohibiting it, and several African and Asian nations where it has been most prevalent have introduced national bans in recent decades.