Human Rights International

Malaysia – stop female genital mutilation!

Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), often referred to by the euphemism “female circumcision”, haunts many of those affected for the rest of their lives.FGM/C denotes all non-medical practices that include the total or partial removal of or injury to the outer female genitalia.

In Côte d’Ivoire and elsewhere, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation is actively engaged in countering this abuse, often severe, of the human right to physical integrity. FGM/C is practised in several southeast Asian countries for religious reasons, including Malaysia and Indonesia. In
2009, Malaysia’s highest Islamic “Fatwa Council” declared FGM/C to be a religious obligation.The Friedrich Naumann Foundation has supported
the Malaysian women’s rights organisation Sisters in Islam (SIS) for many years. This organisation combats FGM/C not only in Malaysia, but also beyond
the country’s borders. SIS is made up mainly of women who are experts in Islamic law and who both counter the religious justifications for FGM/C and educate others on this topic. “There is no official discourse on FGM/C in Malaysia because there is no public data available on its negative consequences,” says SIS member Syarifatul Adibah. “85% of Muslim girls are circumcised in private hospitals and complications are rare.” However, women and girls who have undergone FGM/C suffer the negative consequences for the rest of their lives.