Why is FGC a human rights issue?
The WHO and the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, along with several African and Asian nations, have called for an end to the practice of FGC. The WHO views the practice as a violent act against a girl that causes her serious lifetime consequences. The American Medical Association (AMA) also condemns FGC and supports laws against it. There is also growing international support for condemning FGC and a call for severe penalties given to those who practice it. In some countries where FGC is performed, leaders have tried to reduce the physical problems caused by the procedure by asking hospitals and doctors to do the surgery. This “medicalization” of FGC offends the international medical community, and is seen as a way for FGC supporters to give reason to its practice. Advocates have charged that doctors should not perform FGC, as their profession requires them to do no harm to their patients, despite cultural beliefs and practices.
