ABSTRACT
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is the collective name given to several different traditional practices that involve the cutting of female genitals. FGM is one of the traditional rituals that prepare girls for womanhood, although the age at which it is practiced varies widely. Long-term physical complications are numerous, and there appear to be substantial psychological effects on women's self-images and sexual lives. Although FGM is a practice of culture, it is often strongly associated with Islam because some African Muslim communities cite religion as the reason for performing it and because Westerners have mistakenly related FGM to Islam. In the African context, most anti-FGM legislation was passed by colonial governments who looked upon the indigenous culture with disdain. The eradication of FGM requires global action. A global action would unite local knowledge and sensibility with international technical and financial resources to create a multitude of programs.
