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The truth behind female genital cutting

November 17, 2020
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Grethe Petersen
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You might have heard of female genital cutting, also known as female genital mutilation or FGM, in the news or on social media where the #EndFGM hashtag is populated by activists working to end it. Female genital cutting has been increasingly covered by the media recently because COVID-19 is making the problem worse.

However, female genital cutting is a harmful practice that must be acknowledged. It is a form of gender based violence and violation of girls' and women's rights. But what is female genital cutting and why should you care about it?

If you look at the definition, you'll learn that cutting is: the full or partial removal of, or injury to, a girl's external genitals, for non-medical reasons.

This definition doesn't necessarily convey the reality of what girls undergo when they face the cut, and how it can affect them for the rest of their lives.

The World Health Organization (WHO) categorizes four types of cutting that girls may undergo. Girls on six continents have been subject to this practice, and the form the cutting takes differs community to community. No matter what type of cut happens - it is a violation of human rights, and a dangerous procedure that can harm girls throughout her womanhood.

The different types of cuts can range from a "knick" or drawing of blood on the clitoris or clitoral hood, to the removal of the clitoris and the labia (the vaginal lips) and sewing closed of the orifice, leaving just a small hole for urine and menstruation.

This can have significant and often devastating consequences on a girl both immediately and for the rest of her life. In the worst cases, she might lose her life as a result.

If she survives she may experience trauma, severe blood loss, and as a result of being sewn closed, retention of urine and menstrual blood leading to infections. Cutting can also be a gateway to child marriage. In some communities once a girl is cut, regardless of her age, she is considered ready for marriage. She may also drop out of school, she is more likely to become a teenage mother, and her life chances and ability to participate in the economy are reduced.

On average girls are cut before their 5th birthday.

It can be carried out in unsterile conditions, sometimes with multiple girls being cut with the same blade. Increasingly female genital cutting is medicalized, with 26% of survivors in 25 countries affected by FGC having been cut by a medical professional. This is a concerning, rising trend because it wrongly legitimizes the practice.

No matter who carries out the cut, it is always dangerous and it is always a violation of a woman and the human right of girls.

As you can tell, it's not "just" about the physical cut; it's about the impact of cutting on a girl's life.

So why does this happen?

Female genital cutting both underpins and is perpetuated by gender inequality. It's held in place by deeply entrenched social and gender norms that are already being challenged by brave activists and communities.

There is a common assumption that FGC "only" impacts girls living in poor, "far-off" rural places. The fact is that girls and women are impacted by this form of gender-based violence in 92 countries globally, and 4.1 million girls are at risk of being cut in 31 of those countries in the next year.

The only continent where cutting does not take place is Antarctica. This includes the Middle East, Asia, Europe, North America, some parts of South America and Australasia. It is a global issue that requires a global response, and we must respond to ensure the next generation of girls do not face this violation of their human rights.

It's like I learnt on a visit to Kenya from Lankenua (not her real name), a 15-year old girl. During a community dialogue facilitated by Orchid Project's grassroots partner the Coalition on Violence Against Women. She stood up and talked with confidence to a crowd of people. She said we needed to end the cut because once a girl undergoes the practice she becomes "one of those women" advocating for the cut to continue.

Alongside activists and grassroots organizations all over the world, Orchid Project is working to break this cycle so we can end FGC by 2030, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.

And this is why you should care - because the world has committed to end this practice, so girls like Lankenua do not grow up support it or have to live with its effects, but can become leaders in movement to end female genital cutting, can thrive and reach their potential.

Grethe Petersen is the CEO of Orchid Project. To learn more about the work her and her team implement, or to get involved, you can visit their website here.

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Starting a business may have historically been perceived as a man’s game, but this couldn’t be further from reality. Research shows women are actually more likely than men to actively choose to start their own business – often motivated by the desire to be their own boss or to have a better work-life balance and spend more time with their family.

The recently published Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurship 2021 found that in the category of 'Aspiration Driven Entrepreneurship’ – capturing those who actively choose to start their own business – women in the UK surpass men: 60% vs 56%. And Mastercard research from February 2022 found 10% of female business owners started their business in the past two years compared to 6% of men – meaning women were 67% more likely to have started a business during the pandemic.

Yet, there are common challenges that women founders continue to come up against - not least the gender imbalance in the household and long-held biases which are still prevalent.

In the UK, women are almost three times more likely to be balancing care and home commitments than men, and this was exacerbated during the pandemic as the additional barriers of school closures and lockdowns meant that the care time of dependents rose significantly on a day-to-day level for women. In addition, women were less likely to have access to a home office, greatly impacting the work they were able to accomplish when working from home was the only option.

It's also widely known that female business owners are still more likely to struggle to access funding for their business ideas. According to Dealroom, all-women founding teams received just 1.4% of the €23.7bn invested into UK start-ups in 2021, while all-male leadership teams have taken almost 90% of the available capital.

Without financial support, and when juggling significant time pressures both at home and at work, how can women grow their companies and #BreaktheBias (as this year’s International Women’s Day termed it)? What tools or support can save them time and money, and give them the headspace they need to focus on building their business?

With female owned businesses collectively estimating revenue growth of £120 billion over the next five years, solving this problem is bigger than supporting women – it’s about supporting the national economy.

Using tech to level the playing field

There are clearly societal issues at play that need to be resolved. But when we look at the rise in technology businesses during the pandemic, we can plainly see an alternative source of support critical for business growth: digital tools.

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Research done by the IFC and Dalberg shows that female entrepreneurs are more likely to invest time and money in business development. This includes product development, customer base expansion, and digital tools and training and there are plenty of services available offering this type of support – many of them for free.

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But if we do not empower female entrepreneurs to access the tools and technology they need to grow, there is a risk this optimism could be misplaced. Support programmes that provide business owners with guidance and mentorship can help ensure this isn’t the case, allowing female entrepreneurs to not only survive but thrive in the months and years ahead.