Magnitude of and Driving Factors for Female Genital Cutting in Schoolgirls in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: A Crosssectional Study (Report‪)‬

Female genital cutting (FGC) is practised throughout the world, but is commonest in Asia and Africa. Although it occurs in most developing countries, there is no definitive evidence documenting when or why this ritual began. (1) In spite of many years of effort on the part of both international bodies and individual countries, about 8 - 10 million women and girls in the Middle East and Africa are at risk of undergoing some form of genital cutting. (2-3) Each year worldwide about 2 million girls are circumcised in their early years. (4) FGC is practised in both Muslim and non-Muslim countries and is known to occur among the Coptic Christians of Egypt, several Christian groups in Kenya and the Falasha Jews of Ethiopia, suggesting that there is no definite link between religion and prevalence. (5) Despite a global campaign highlighting the harmful effects of FGC, as many as 93% of girls in developing countries such as Yemen, Nigeria and particularly Sudan are circumcised. (6) On the other hand, some African countries such as Burkina Faso have managed to lower the incidence of FGC through multiple interventions such as media broadcasting and use of mobile police and army forces. (7)