FEMALE GENITAL CUTTING

Female Genital Cutting

Female Genital Cutting

Female genital cutting (FGC; also known as “female circumcision” or “female genital mutilation”) has sparked enormous debate because the issue lies at the crux of many other critical issues: globalization, sovereignty, women's and children's rights, democracy, and modernity (Boyle, 2005). The precise origins of the practice, which dates back to antiquity, are unclear. FGC is deeply embedded in the culture of a number of eastern and central African nations and can be found in other parts of the world as well (Gruenbaum, 2001). The practice continues primarily because it is a tradition. At the turn ...