Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Study: Female Genital Cutting Practiced In At Least 92 Countries

Masood Farivar

   WASHINGTON - The internationally condemned ritual of female genital
   mutilation (FGM) is practiced in at least 92 countries, according to a
   new study released Monday by three advocacy groups.Despite a decline in
   its prevalence in recent decades, there are still millions of girls
   around the world subjected to the painful and highly dangerous
   practice.

   An age-old ritual, FGM is practiced for a variety ofcultural and
   religiousreasons, primarilyas a means tocurb women'sinterest in
   sexandtocureperceived sexual problems.

   In theDawoodiBohra Muslim community of the Indian subcontinent, it is
   widely practiced as an initiation rite for girls. It was used in the
   United States to discourage female masturbation before the cutting
   practice became outlawed in the 20th century.

   The study,conductedbyEnd FGM European Network, End FGM/C U.S. Network,
   and Equality Now, highlights the extent to which national survey data
   collected by United Nationsagencies in recent years have underestimated
   the extent ofFGM--also known as FGM/C(female genital
   mutilation/cutting) --around the world.

   Widespreadpractice

   TheU.N. estimates that more than 200 million girls have undergone the
   ritual in 32 countriesduring recent decades,based on large-scale
   national surveys from those countries. The new study examined smaller
   national studies and indirect estimates to document evidence of the
   practice in an additional 60 countries.

   "There is growing evidence of the currency of FGM/C in more countries
   than actually measured," said Ghada Khan, one of the authors of the
   study."We wanted to highlight the fact that this is a global issue, it
   is occurring worldwide and that it requires a global response."

   'Female circumcision'

   Known as female circumcisionin some countries,FGMranges in severity
   from the partial or total removal of the clitoris to other harmful
   procedures such as pricking, piercing, incising and scraping the female
   genitalia.The ritual is performed as early as infancy to the teen
   years, often using crude implements such as scissors and
   withoutananesthetic.

.