Ending the medicalization of female genital mutilation/cutting in Egypt

Despite the presence of a law banning female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), the practice continues to be widespread in Egypt. According to 2014, Egypt Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS), the prevalence of FGM/C is 93% among ever-married women aged 15-49 (MOHP, ElZantay and Associates, and ICF International, 2015). Type I (i.e. partial or total removal of the clitoris and/or the prepuce) and type II (i.e. partial or total removal of the clitoris and the labia minora, with or without excision of the labia majora) are the most common types of FGM/C in Egypt (WHO, 2008; Tag-Eldin et al., 2008). Reasons underlying the practice of FGM/C include believing it is a religious requirement; it protects a girl’s chastity/ prevents against adultery or husbands prefer women who are circumcised (MOHP, El-Zanaty and Associates and, ICF International, 2015; Tag-Eldin et al., 2008).