Virtually all women from the Afar people undergo extreme genital mutilation, with total ablation of the clitoris and the labia minora and with an almost total closure of the labia majora (this is known as infibulation and not excision). In zone 5 of the Afar region, this mutilation is carried out mainly in the first week of the little girl’s life.  

Virtually all women from the Afar people undergo extreme genital mutilation.

This practice, which dates back to the time of the Pharaohs, has many consequences for the health of women: urinary disorders, amenorrhea, sterility, infections… It also puts the life of the mother and her child in danger during childbirth. For several years, infibulation has tended to be less common in new-borns and the population is increasingly well informed as to the dangers of this practice for the health of women...