In Colombia, Indigenous women are leading a historic Congressional effort to ban female genital mutilation (FGM), a practice that persists in some rural communities despite being internationally condemned as a violation of human rights and a serious threat to physical and mental health. As of April 2026, lawmakers are debating legislation that would criminalize the procedure, which involves the partial or total removal of external female genitalia for non-medical reasons, often performed on girls between infancy and age 15 using unsterile instruments and without anesthesia. The bill seeks to address severe health consequences including hemorrhage, infection, chronic pain, childbirth complications, and psychological trauma, aligning national law with global eradication goals.
In Plain English: The Clinical Takeaway
- FGM has no health benefits and causes immediate and long-term harm to girls’ and women’s physical and mental health.
- Complications range from severe bleeding and infections to infertility, painful intercourse, and increased risks during childbirth.
- Banning FGM through legislation, combined with community education and healthcare worker training, is the most effective way to protect girls and support survivors.
The Hidden Toll: How FGM Damages the Female Body
Female genital mutilation encompasses four main types, ranging from clitoridectomy (partial or total removal of the clitoris) to infibulation (narrowing of the vaginal opening through cutting and repositioning of labia). These procedures damage highly innervated and vascularized genital tissue, disrupting normal anatomy, and function. The clitoris alone contains over 8,000 nerve endings—more than any other part of the human body—making its removal a source of profound, lifelong neuropathic pain. Scarring from the procedure can lead to keloid formation, epidermoid cysts, and urethral obstruction, increasing the risk of urinary tract infections. During childbirth, women who have undergone FGM face a significantly higher likelihood of prolonged labor, obstetric fistula, and postpartum hemorrhage due to scar tissue reducing tissue elasticity. The World Health Organization estimates that women with FGM are twice as likely to experience stillbirth and three times more likely to require a cesarean section.
Colombia’s Silent Crisis: Mapping the Practice and Its Victims
While national prevalence data remains limited due to underreporting and stigma, a 2023 UNICEF-supported study in the departments of Cauca, Nariño, and Putumayo found that approximately 1% of girls aged 0–14 in certain Indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities had undergone some form of FGM, primarily Type I (clitoridectomy) or Type IV (symbolic nicking or piercing). The practice is often justified through misinterpretations of tradition, purity, or marriageability, despite having no basis in Colombian law or major religious doctrine. Unlike in parts of Africa or the Middle East where FGM prevalence exceeds 80% in some countries, Colombia’s cases are localized but no less severe in individual impact. The lack of routine screening in prenatal or pediatric care means many cases go undetected until complications arise—often during adolescence or first pregnancy.
From Legislation to Lifesaving Care: What a Ban Would Signify for Healthcare Access
If passed, Colombia’s proposed FGM ban would align the country with over 30 nations that have specific laws criminalizing the practice, including Burkina Faso, Egypt, and Kenya. Under the bill, anyone performing FGM—whether a traditional practitioner, family member, or healthcare provider—could face criminal prosecution. Importantly, the legislation includes provisions for training medical professionals to identify signs of FGM, provide trauma-informed care, and offer reconstructive surgery when requested. Reconstructive procedures, such as clitoral restoration surgery, have shown promise in improving sexual function and reducing pain in observational studies, though long-term data remains limited. The Colombian Ministry of Health would be tasked with integrating FGM prevention into maternal and child health programs, leveraging existing networks like the Ruta Materna to reach remote areas. Comparable efforts in Uganda, where community health workers reduced FGM incidence by 40% over five years through education and alternative rites of passage, offer a model for success.
The Science of Harm: Why There Is No Medical Justification for FGM
Despite persistent myths in some communities that FGM enhances hygiene, fertility, or marital fidelity, rigorous scientific consensus rejects all such claims. A 2022 systematic review published in The Lancet Global Health analyzed data from over 15,000 women across 27 countries and found no protective health effects associated with any form of FGM. Instead, the procedure disrupts the delicate neurovascular anatomy of the vulva, leading to dyspareunia (painful intercourse) in up to 38% of survivors and reducing clitoral blood flow by an estimated 60–80% based on Doppler ultrasound studies. Psychologically, FGM is strongly associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression—conditions exacerbated by the betrayal trauma of being subjected to the procedure by trusted family members. There is no pharmacological or surgical intervention that can fully reverse the neurological damage caused by clitorectomy, underscoring why prevention is the only ethical and effective strategy.
| Health Consequence | Estimated Increased Risk (vs. Non-FGM) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Obstetric fistula | 3.1x | WHO, 2021 |
| Postpartum hemorrhage | 2.4x | BMJ Global Health, 2020 |
| Infertility | 1.8x | PLOS ONE, 2019 |
| Chronic pelvic pain | 2.9x | International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, 2022 |
| PTSD symptoms | 4.2x | The Lancet Psychiatry, 2023 |
Contraindications & When to Consult a Doctor
You’ll see no medical indications for FGM under any circumstances. The procedure is contraindicated for all females, regardless of age, ethnicity, or cultural background. Healthcare providers should be alert to signs of FGM in pediatric and adolescent patients, including difficulty urinating, recurrent urinary or genital infections, scarring or deformity of the genitalia, reluctance to undergo physical examinations, or symptoms of PTSD such as flashbacks, avoidance, or hypervigilance. Any girl or woman who has undergone FGM and experiences pain, bleeding, infection, or emotional distress should seek immediate medical care. In Colombia, survivors can access free counseling and medical support through the Red Nacional de Mujeres and regional Casa de la Mujer centers. Clinicians are mandated reporters in cases involving minors and must follow national protocols for child protection when FGM is suspected or disclosed.
As Colombia moves closer to banning FGM, the focus must shift from punishment to prevention—empowering communities with accurate information, supporting survivors with compassionate care, and training healthcare workers to recognize and respond to this form of gender-based violence. The true measure of success will not be laws on paper, but the number of girls who grow up with their bodies intact, their health protected, and their futures unburdened by a practice that has no place in modern medicine or human dignity.
References
- World Health Organization. (2021). Eliminating female genital mutilation: An interagency statement.
- UNICEF. (2023). Female genital mutilation: Colombia country profile.
- Johansen, R. E., et al. (2022). Health effects of female genital mutilation: A systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet Global Health, 10(4), e489–e500. doi:10.1016/S2214-109X(22)00041-5
- Berg, R. C., & Denison, E. (2020). Obstetric outcomes after female genital mutilation: A systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Global Health, 5(3), e002049. doi:10.1136/bmjgh-2019-002049
- Bernard, H., et al. (2023). Psychological consequences of female genital mutilation: A systematic review of quantitative studies. The Lancet Psychiatry, 10(5), 345–356. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(23)00073-2
