Female genital cutting: why Southeast Asia should follow Africa’s lead in challenging religious and cultural justifications

Female genital mutilation or cutting (FGM/C) remains a threat to the rights of women in Southeast Asia, often religiously and culturally justified. Yet, despite lasting physical and psychological impacts, governments have not mounted a coordinated regional effort to address it. From about 4.1 million of FGM/C cases worldwide, which involves cutting tissue or the clitoris itself, more than one million cases occur in Asia.