FGM/C refers to cutting and other procedures that injure female genital organs for non-medical reasons. It may be called ‘female circumcision’ in some parts of the world. The practice has no health benefits and can lead to a range of serious physical and mental health problems.
The U.S. government opposes FGM/C, no matter the type, degree, or severity, and no matter what the motivation for performing it. The U.S. government considers FGM/C to be a serious human rights abuse, gender-based violence, and, when done to children, a form of child abuse.| English | Amharic | Arabic | French | Swahili | Tigrinya | Somali |
