Prohibited Sexual Behavior and Sexual Violence

Sexual Violence: Mutilation of Female Sex Organs: Prevalence 2

The regions where the traditional mutilation of female sex organs is perfomed are well known. However, exact figures about the actual prevalence do not exist. Most available figures are based on estimates that have been made by generalizing from various large and small samples, and the different methods used do not always allow valid comparisons. Moreover, even within the same country, the custom may be restricted to certain ethnic groups. Thus, on the whole, the present statistics can provide only an approximate picture.
According to an estimate by the United Nations, ca. 130 million females are affected world-wide, with ca. 2 million new cases being added each year. (The World Health Organization (WHO) arrived at a global estimate of ca. 170 million women. Of these, 150 million are assumed to live in Africa.) The following list is being offered by an African online news service. It does not privide exact figures, but lists percentages of affected women by country, and it also differentiates between the main forms of mutilation:

Mutilation practices by country and type Country Prevalence Type Benin 5-50% excision  Burkina Faso up to 70% excision  Cameroon local clitoridectomy and excision Central Afr. Republic 45-50% clitoridectomy and excision Chad 60% excision and infibulation Comoros very local excision Côte d'Ivoire up to 60% excision  DRC (Congo) local excision  Djibouti 98% excision and infibulation  Egypt 85-95% clitoridectomy, excision and infibulation Eritrea 95% clitoridectomy, excision and infibulation Ethiopia 70-90% clitoridectomy, excision and infibulation Gambia 60-90% excision and infibulation  Ghana 15-30% excision  Guinea 65-90% clitoridectomy, excision and infibulation  Guinea Bissau local clitoridectomy and excision Kenya 50% clitoridectomy, excision and some infibulation Liberia 50% excision  Mali 94% clitoridectomy, excision and infibulation  Mauritania 25% clitoridectomy and excision Niger local excision  Nigeria 60-90% clitoridectomy, excision, some infibulation  Senegal 20% excision  Sierra Leone 90% excision  Somalia 98% infibulation  Sudan 90% infibulation and excision Tanzania 18% excision, infibulation  Togo 12% excision  Uganda local clitoridectomy and excision  Based on statistics from Amnesty International, US govt., UN agencies, and afrol archives

Source: afrol News. For more information, click here.