ABSTRACT
Introduction This chapter explores how community development approaches (CDA) can be utilised to work in partnership with women and girls affected by the culturally sensitive and illegal practice of female genital mutilation (FGM). Before I can define and analyse what CDA is and how its approaches in theory and practice can be utilised to work with the culturally sensitive and illegal practice of female genital mutilation (FGM), also known as female circumcision (FC), I need to define what we mean by a ‘community’ and what ‘development’ involves. As Taylor noted,1
defining a community is a complex issue, as any geographical community will include people whose primary identity is based on different factors, for example class, race, gender or sexual orientation. In this case the various communities that practise FGM are united by the gender and sexual orientation and yet are from all over Africa, Middle East and various parts of Asia and South America.2
