Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Mar-Apr;131(2):340-7.
doi: 10.1177/003335491613100218.

Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting in the United States: Updated Estimates of Women and Girls at Risk, 2012

Howard Goldberg  1 , Paul Stupp  1 , Ekwutosi Okoroh  1 , Ghenet Besera  1 , David Goodman  1 , Isabella Danel  1
Affiliations

Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting in the United States: Updated Estimates of Women and Girls at Risk, 2012

Howard Goldberg et al. Public Health Rep. 2016 Mar-Apr.

Abstract

Objectives: In 1996, the U.S. Congress passed legislation making female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) illegal in the United States. CDC published the first estimates of the number of women and girls at risk for FGM/C in 1997. Since 2012, various constituencies have again raised concerns about the practice in the United States. We updated an earlier estimate of the number of women and girls in the United States who were at risk for FGM/C or its consequences.

Methods: We estimated the number of women and girls who were at risk for undergoing FGM/C or its consequences in 2012 by applying country-specific prevalence of FGM/C to the estimated number of women and girls living in the United States who were born in that country or who lived with a parent born in that country.

Results: Approximately 513,000 women and girls in the United States were at risk for FGM/C or its consequences in 2012, which was more than three times higher than the earlier estimate, based on 1990 data. The increase in the number of women and girls younger than 18 years of age at risk for FGM/C was more than four times that of previous estimates.

Conclusion: The estimated increase was wholly a result of rapid growth in the number of immigrants from FGM/C-practicing countries living in the United States and not from increases in FGM/C prevalence in those countries. Scientifically valid information regarding whether women or their daughters have actually undergone FGM/C and related information that can contribute to efforts to prevent the practice in the United States and provide needed health services to women who have undergone FGM/C are needed.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure
Figure
Women and girls in the United States who were born in an FGM/C-practicing country or were living with a parent born in an FGM/C-practicing country, by age, 2012
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Jones WK, Smith J, Kieke B, Jr, Wilcox L. Female genital mutilation. Female circumcision. Who is at risk in the U.S.? Public Health Rep. 1997;112:368–77. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Dukureh J. Petition: end female genital mutilation in the US—commission a prevalence report on women impacted and girls at risk. 2014 [cited 2014 Nov 10] Available from: https://www.change.org/p/end-fgm-now-protect-girls-from-getting-cut-and-....
    1. Sanctuary for Families. New York: Sanctuary for Families; 2013. Female genital mutilation in the United States: protecting girls and women in the U.S. from FGM and vacation cutting. Also available from: http://www.sanctuaryforfamilies.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2015/07/... [cited 2014 Nov 10]
    1. Turkewitz J. A fight as U.S. girls face genital cutting abroad. New York Times 2014 Jun 10, A13 [cited 2014 Nov 10] Available from: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/11/us/a-fight-as-us-girls-face-genital-cu....
    1. Roberts A, Smith M. Horrific taboo: female circumcision on the rise in U.S. NBC News 2014 Mar 30 [cited 2014 Nov 10] Available from: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/horrific-taboo-female-circumcision-ris....

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources