“Absolutely no health benefits whatsoever for women or girls.”
Rates of female genital mutilation rates are thought to be rising in Ireland.
According to World Vision Ireland, although conclusive data is difficult to come by, it is estimated that approximately 1,632 girls in Ireland are currently at risk of the procedure.
Female genital mutilation, or FGM, involves the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia for non-medical reasons.
Ireland saw its first conviction for FGM this week. One man and one woman were sentenced to five and a half years and four year and nine months in prison respectively.
They had been found guilty of carrying out the procedure last year. Their daughter was just one year old at the time.
According to the HSE, there have been about 3,780 women living in Ireland who have undergone FGM since 2011.
Fiona O’Malley, Director of Communications for World Vision Ireland, says that FGM is internationally recognised as a human rights violation.
“The procedure has absolutely no health benefits whatsoever for women or girls.” she says.
“Procedures can cause severe bleeding and problems urinating, cysts, infections, as well as complications in childbirth and increased risk of new-born deaths.
“FGM is a complete violation of a girl or woman’s rights to health, security and physical integrity, the right to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and the right to life when the procedure results in death.”
2015 figures from the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) suggest that the rates of FGM in Ireland are set to increase.
Currently, the institute estimates that those at risk of the procedure in Ireland are between 158 (low-risk scenario) and 1,632 (high-risk scenario).
O’Malley says that educating the public about the dangers of FGM is necessary to reduce rates.
“There are immediate and long-term physical health risks, as well as very damaging psychological consequences to the procedure,” she says.
“There is a lot of secrecy and stigma surrounding FGM, but we are hoping that by raising awareness and through educating the public and women at risk, we can significantly reduce the practice.”
