Overview

Female genital cutting (FGC) also called female circumcision or female genital mutilation involves cutting or removing the external female genitalia for non-therapeutic reasons. FGC is a common practice among societies mainly located in a band of African countries north of the equator, from Mauritania and Guinea in the west to Somalia and Egypt in the east. It is most often carried out by traditional practitioners on girls that range in age from a few days old to 20 years old. FGC can cause pain, severe bleeding, infections, and even death.

Modules and Indicators

The DHS Female Genital Cutting Module has been implemented in DHS surveys across Africa, providing a rich source of comparable data on the following:

• Prevalence of FGC among women age 15-49 and among their daughters
• Characteristics of FGC among women and daughters
• Attitudes toward the practice and its continuation
• In some countries men are also asked about their attitudes toward the practice of FGC and its continuation.

Indicators reported include:

• Knowledge of female genital cutting
• Prevalence of female genital cutting
• Percentage of women with at least one living daughter
• Type of female genital cutting
• Person who performed the female genital cutting
• Median age at female genital cutting
• Attitudes towards female genital cutting