Female genital mutilation: the role of health professionals in prevention, assessment, and management

#### Summary points Female genital mutilation (FGM), also known as female circumcision or cutting, is thought to affect 100-140 million women worldwide.1 It describes a range of procedures, often involving partial or total excision of the external female genitalia, that are carried out for non-medical reasons (box 1; figs 1-4⇓ ⇓ ⇓ ⇓).2 FGM breaches international human rights law, in particular the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child,3 and has been criminalised in much of the world, including many African countries in which it is traditionally practised. The United Kingdom is one of several Western countries that have enacted specific legislation in response to international migration (box 2).4 #### Box 1 Classification of female genital mutilation5