| Summary: | The attention given to the issue of female genital mutilation or cutting (FGM/C) as a harmful practice has been growing in recent years. Yet, while ending female genital mutilation or cutting (FGM/C, both terminologies are used in the literature) is a target under the Sustainable Development Goals, the practice remains common. FGM/C is practiced not only in Africa, which is the region on which this note focuses, but also in other regions of the world and even in high income countries with diaspora from high FGM/C prevalence countries. While the prevalence of the practice is declining, it remains high in some countries. FGM/C is known to have potentially life threatening health consequences for girls, especially when the cutting is severe. While there can be significant health risks in all forms of FGM/C, especially in cases of infibulation, which can lead to the removal of virtually all external sexual organs, the practice has been linked to infections, infertility, and childbirth complications, among others. Cases of girls dying after being cut have been documented in the media. The practice may also affect the children of girls being cut, in part due to complications at birth. More generally, in terms of its drivers and other consequences, the practice is related to deep-seated patterns of gender inequality and gender-based violence
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