Horrifying statistic: More than 500,000 women and girls in the US are victims of genital mutilation

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/02/horrifying-statistic-more-than-500000-women-and-girls-in-the-us-are-victims-of-genital-mutilation/



Horrifying statistic: More than 500,000 women and girls in the US are victims of genital mutilation
Alexandra Topping, The Guardian
05 Feb 2015 at 12:34 ET

The number of women and girls dealing with the consequences of female genital mutilation in the US is more than three times greater than previously thought, the Guardian can reveal.

Figures showing that more than 500,000 women in the US are estimated to be suffering as a consequence of the practice have revealed the extent of FGM cases in the country.

Campaigners are now calling for immediate action to deal with the “state of emergency” for all girls at risk of FGM. The practice can cause recurrent infections, death during childbirth and elimination of sexual pleasure.

Unpublished draft figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , seen by the Guardian, show that since the last prevalence study was done in 1997 the number of women and girls living with FGM in the US has increased from an estimated 168,000 to 513,000.