How different African cultures prepare women for marriage

[Photo UNICEF / Olivier Asselin/ Wiki CC]

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), Across Africa

This is a practice by different cultures across Africa, where a girl’s sexual organs are cut or modified to mark the transition from a girl to a woman.  It is also a sign that the girl is ready for marriage.

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A number of African countries have outlawed FGM because of the harm and distress to the girls. According to the World Health Organisation, the practice has no health benefits for girls and women and can cause “cause severe bleeding and problems urinating, and later cysts, infections, as well as complications in childbirth and increased risk of newborn deaths.”