Prohibited Sexual Behavior and Sexual Violence

Sexual Violence: Mutilation of Female Sex Organs: Terms

In the last few decades, certain traditional alterations of female sex organs in some countries have begun to attract world-wide attention. The most frequenctly encountered terms in this context are “female circumcision”, “genital cutting”, and “female genital mutilation (FGM). Unfortunately, none of these terms is fully adequate. The first is almost always a euphemism, because a simple circumcision of the clitoral foreskin is rare. Most of the time, there is much more involved. The vague second term also glosses over the fact that the operation usually results in serious, permanent injuries of the female sex organs. In this sense, the third term is closer to the mark. There is a problem, however, with the adjective “genital”. The noun “genitals” (from lat. genitalia) means “organs of generation” or “reproducive organs”. It is a prejudicial and inappropriate term for sex organs. In this case, it is especially misleading, because, in many cases, one is talking about a clitoridectomy, i.e. the cutting out of the clitoral glans. The clitoris, however, has no generative or reproductive function and is therefore not a “genital” organ. Finally, as we shall see, the procedure often goes well beyond even a clitoridectomy and involves further serious injuries. This leaves, as the most precise description, the term “mutilation of female sex organs”.