Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is the collective term for a number of procedures, involving cutting or removal of the external female genitalia. Some of these procedures are minor in nature, while others involve significant intervention. It is usually performed on girls or adolescent women.

FGM is commonly called female circumcision by practicing communities.

• Where is FGM practiced?
  
  FGM is practiced in many parts of the world and has been documented in more than 40 countries.
  
  • Africa: FGM is practiced in approximately 24 counties including Somalia, Sudan, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Kenya, as well as parts of western and central Africa.
    
  • Asia: FGM occurs among some groups in the Philippines, Malaysia, Pakistan, India and Indonesia.
    
  • Europe: In ancient times FGM was used as a cure for nymphomania, hysteria, insanity, depression and epilepsy. In recent years, it is found to exist in some European countries that have admitted migrants and refugees from countries where the practice still exists.
    
  • Latin America : FGM occurs among some groups in Brazil, Eastern Mexico and Peru.
    
  • Middle East : The United Arab Emirates, South Yemen, Bahrain and Oman, all have communities that practice FGM.
    
    
• Is FGM practiced in Australia?

There is no documented evidence that FGM is practised in Australia. However, there are adults affected by FGM resident in Australia who underwent the procedure overseas prior to migration.

• Why is FGM practiced?

FGM is deeply rooted in tradition and is supported by a wide range of beliefs and sociological procedures. It is through by some that FGM prevents a woman seeking sexual partners before or outside marriage, thus ensuring her fidelity as a wife. Psychosexual reasons include beliefs that a non-excised women cannot conceive, or is not chaste. Some believe it is a form of contraceptive, while others believe it enhances fertility.

Sociological reasons given to support the practice of FGM include:

• making all females equal
• the preservation of family honour
• the protection of girls from rape in times of war
• increasing a girl’s marriageability
• fostering social cohesion
• giving a girl access to resources in the community and avoiding the mockery and isolation experienced by girls who have not undergone the practice.

In those communities where it is common practice, girls who have not undergone FGM are considered unclean, especially in those cultures where cleanliness is a valued virtue.

• Is FGM a religious practice?

FGM is not a religious practice. It predates religions such as Christianity, Islam and Judaism. The practice has frequently been carried out in the genuine but erroneous belief that it was demanded by religious faiths.

• What are the benefits of FGM?

There are no identified benefits from the practice. Efua Dorkenoo, an internationally distinguished writer on FGM notes “No reputable medical practitioner would agree that mutilation is good for the physical or mental health of females while a growing number of research and case histories indicate its grave permanent damage to health, underlining the risks of death”.

• What are the effects of FGM?

The effects of FGM can vary. Not all women will experience severe ill effects, but many do.

The immediate physical effects can include violent pain, backache, suppressed pain, haemorrhage, post operative shock, damage to other organs, acute urine retention, tetanus and septicaemia. HIV and Hepatitis B transmission can also occur when simultaneous operations are performed on a group of girls.

Long term effects can include difficulties with sexual intercourse, menstrual problems, recurrent urinary and kidney infections, chronic infections of the uterus and vagina, infertility, acute problems during labour and birth, incontinence, prolapses, chronic vulva abscesses and difficulty in using contraceptive methods and sexual dysfunction.

The psychological effects can include anxiety prior to operation, trauma, sense of humiliation, sense of betrayal by parents, severe depression, loss of sleep, nightmares and post traumatic stress syndrome.

The psychological effects are mostly manifested when affected people are removed from the community in which the practice is common.

• What are the health needs of women affected by FGM?

The health needs of women affected by the practice depend on the particular consequences being experienced by each woman. They may include regular gynaecological check, counselling, intensive pre-natal and post-natal care, restorative surgery, menopausal care, special family planning services and access to female health care workers.

• What is the Australian Government doing about FGM?

In August 1995, the Federal Government allocated funds for an education and assistance program to deal with FGM.

The National Education Program on FGM is conducted through individual State and Territory Departments of Health. The aims of the program include:

• Prevention of the occurrence of FGM in Australia and its Territories through an emphasis on community education, information and support; and
• Assistance to those women and girls living in Australia who have been affected by, or are at risk of FGM to minimize adverse health outcomes and psychological harm
• A further goal is to promote the development of a holistic health approach in working with communities and facilitating supports and access to health services for women and girls affected by or at risk of the practice.
• Legislation on this practice has been enacted in New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria, Queensland, Australia’s Capital Territory, Northern Territory and Tasmania. Western Australia is developing legislation.

NSW Government

In May 1995 the NSW passed legislation that outlaws the practice of FGM in NSW. This is the Crimes (Female Genital Mutilation) Act 1995 No 58: Section 45. The Act makes the practice of FGM a criminal offence.

The Act programs for a maximum 7 years gaol term for anyone found guilty of practicing FGM. It is also illegal for FGM to be carried out in another state and/or overseas on anyone who is normally resident in NSW