| Summary: | Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) is a development issue and am extreme form of violence against women and girls that affects more than 200 million women in the world. FGM/C is a harmful practice proven to impact the physical and mental health of affected women and girls from the moment of the cutting, with prolonged and irreversible consequences during their entire lives. FGM/C is at the confluence of domestic violence, child abuse and sexual assault and a serious violation of human rights. Studies show that FGM/C has economic and social consequences and a high obstetric cost although a comprehensive study on the exact extent of these economic, health and social costs is still to be carried out. Beyond the data and the statistics, researchers have shown that FGM/C deprives women of sexual satisfaction, sexual health and psychophysical wellbeing. The Compendium of International and National Legal Frameworks on Female Genital Mutilation (the Compendium) was prepared to contribute to this urgent and important development debate with the understanding that the knowledge of the law is an important empowerment tool to end FGM/C. It provides a survey of the key international and regional instruments as well as domestic legislation as they relate to the prohibition of FGM/C. The Compendium consists of topical chapters (international legal frameworks; regional legal frameworks; consensus documents and national legal frameworks) with hyperlinks to source documents, such as United Nations conventions, regional treaties, and national legislations. The Compendium is a working document intended as a reference tool for anyone interested in the topic of FGM/C (development practitioners, lawyers, community leaders, academics, researchers, students, et cetera
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