Female genital mutilation on the rise in Egypt’s rural areas – Egyptian Streets
Female genital mutilation on the rise in Egypt’s rural areas – Egyptian Streets:
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is increasing in rural areas in Egypt according to Women and Development Association (WDA) Alexandria governorate head Aida Nour al-Din, Youm7 reported Friday.
Din said that FGM is also common in urban areas due to some religious beliefs that it is a “religious obligation and must be done.”
She also said a 2008 study indicated 86 percent of divorce cases were due to FGM and its negative impact on marital intercourse.
Din said the WDA established a unit to stop FGM in Alexandria and currently is establishing another one to allow women to organize awareness campaigns against FGM and to organize seminars attended by religious leaders concerning the negative effects of FGM.
Gynecologist Eman Mahmoud told The Cairo Post in a phone interview Friday that FGM has a negative psychological impact that “lasts for years after performing the practice and losing part of the body.”
Famous photograph taken by a CNN reporter in the 1990s of female genital mutilation being performed in Egypt.
