A Future Without FGM: Protecting the Next Generation by Mahmoud Dugdug

01:42 AM May, 19 2026

Sudanese Online
محمود ابكر دقدق-الدوحه
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A Future Without FGM: Protecting the Next Generation



My Dr. Mahmoud Dugdug

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), also referred to as female circumcision or female genital cutting, is one of the most serious violations of the rights, dignity, and bodily integrity of girls and women worldwide. The practice involves the partial or total removal of external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. According to the World Health Organization, FGM has no health benefits and causes severe physical and psychological harm. Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) remains one of the gravest violations of the rights of women and girls in the modern world. Despite decades of international advocacy, millions of girls continue to face the threat of this harmful practice each year. FGM is not merely a medical or cultural issue; it is fundamentally a human rights issue that affects bodily integrity, gender equality, public health, child protection, and social justice
FGM is practiced in parts of Africa, the Middle East, and some Asian communities, as well as within diaspora communities around the world. International organizations, governments, religious leaders, activists, and civil society groups have intensified efforts to eradicate the practice through education, legislation, advocacy, and community engagement.
FGM is usually performed on girls between infancy and adolescence. The procedure is often carried out by traditional practitioners without medical training and under unsafe sanitary conditions. The United Nations Children’s Fund and the United Nations Population Fund estimate that more than 200 million girls and women alive today have undergone some form of FGM.
According to the World Health Organization, Female Genital Mutilation refers to all procedures involving the partial or total removal of external female genitalia or other injury to female genital organs for non-medical reasons. FGM is commonly performed on girls without anesthesia, sterile equipment, or medical supervision. The practice exists in different forms and degrees of severity, ranging from symbolic cutting to extensive mutilation.
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is often perpetuated due to cultural and social norms, misconceptions about faith, and the desire to control women's bodies. However, prominent leaders from various religions, including Islam and Christianity, have made it clear that FGM is not a requirement of their faith. The fight against Female Genital Mutilation is a fight for justice, equality, and human dignity. FGM inflicts profound physical and emotional harm on millions of girls and women while reinforcing cycles of discrimination and violence. Ending this practice requires more than laws alone. It demands education, community engagement, women’s empowerment, survivor support, religious clarification, healthcare access, and sustained international cooperation.
The world has a moral responsibility to protect every girl’s right to safety, health, dignity, and bodily autonomy. A future free from FGM is not only possible — it is necessary for the advancement of human rights and the creation of more just and compassionate societies. It's time for FGM to end, and we must work together to achieve this goal.

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