General Medical Information

Female Circumcision

Wilberto Nieves-Neira
Bhagirath Majmudar
Ira R. Horowitz

Female circumcision is a traditional or ritual practice that is still widespread in Africa, the Middle East, and southeast Asia. Female circumcision is significantly associated with poverty, illiteracy, and low status of women. In societies that practice female circumcision, the woman who is not circumcised is stigmatized, ostracized, and not sought in marriage. Several national and international organizations have opposed all forms of medically unnecessary surgical modification of the female genitalia. Nevertheless, the eradication of a practice based on cultural and traditional patterns that can be traced back for more than 2,000 years is a difficult and delicate task that requires promoting awareness and education.