COVID-19’s threat to the progress in the fight against female genital mutilation in Africa

Abstract

he COVID-19 pandemic has been affecting all aspects of peoples’ lives globally, impacting the socio-economic, cultural, health and educational aspects of lives. One of these socio-economic, cultural and health aspects of lives affected is female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). According to the WHO, FGM/C comprises all procedures involving the removal of the external female genitalia or other injuries to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. Also, according to the WHO data; FGM/C is mostly carried out on young girls, sometime between infancy and adolescence, and occasionally on adult women. FGM/C is linked to medical conditions, socio-cultural, economic, and women rights consequences [1]. Female genital mutilation causes short-term side effects including severe pain, severe bleeding, infectious diseases, and difficulty passing urine, shock, and even some long-term implications for their reproductive health and psychological health