Female Genital Mutilation
FGM is the ritual cutting or removal of some or all of the external female genitalia in order to control women’s sexuality to ensure purity, modesty and beauty. Although efforts to ban the practice have been ongoing for decades, the practice remains, even among African communities in the U.S.
Last year, a Michigan-based doctor was arrested and two others faced genital mutilation charges in the U.S. In fact, experts believe the practice has been slowly picking up speed across the country; FGM cases have apparently tripled since 1990.