Do we talk about female genital cutting and run the risk of equating and trivialising the removal of the clitoris with the circumcision of boys? Are we talking about female genital mutilation (FGM) and thereby stigmatising those affected as mutilated? And what local terms do those affected themselves actually use?
IAMANEH Switzerland uses the term "female genital cutting", FGC. The latter was proposed by a Ugandan health NGO in the 1990s and has become established in the scientific community and among leading African NGOs.
We recommend the article by the organisation Tostan on the different terms: FGC? FGM? Female circumcision? Why language matters in helping communities abandon harmful practices - Tostan International
