“FGM can never be safe; there’s no safe cut. Medicalizing it doesn’t protect girls, it still harms their health and violates their rights.” These words from Dr. Derrick Okoth remind us of a critical truth in the fight against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

FGM is a harmful practice with no medical benefits, yet in some communities, there’s a dangerous misconception that performing it in clinics or by health professionals makes it “safe.” The reality is that medicalized FGM still poses serious physical, psychological, and reproductive risks, including infections, complications in childbirth, chronic pain, and emotional trauma.

Understanding the Risks

Even under medical supervision, FGM involves cutting or altering genital tissue. This can lead to immediate complications like bleeding, infection, and severe pain, and long-term consequences such as difficulty during childbirth, urinary problems, and lasting psychological trauma.

Medicalization does not eliminate these risks ,it only gives a false sense of safety. More importantly, it sends the message that the practice is acceptable, undermining efforts to protect girls’ rights and challenge harmful traditions.

Protecting Girls’ Rights

Ending FGM is not only a health issue,it’s a matter of human rights. Every girl has the right to grow up free from harm, to make decisions about her own body, and to live without fear of cultural or social pressures that endanger her well-being.

Health professionals, community leaders, and policymakers play a key role in advocating against medicalized FGM, educating communities, and promoting alternative rites of passage that celebrate girls safely. Their leadership helps reinforce that true care means protecting lives, not performing harmful procedures.

Joining the Movement

The fight against FGM requires collective action. Awareness campaigns, survivor-led storytelling, and youth advocacy programs,like those under the #NOVOFGMUg Project—are crucial in changing mindsets. By amplifying voices like Dr. Okoth’s and empowering survivors to speak out, communities can reject medicalized FGM and embrace positive, non-harmful traditions.

A Call to Action

Medicalizing FGM is not a solution—it’s a continuation of harm. The only safe path is complete abandonment of the practice. Communities, leaders, and health professionals must unite to protect girls’ rights, promote education, and foster dialogue that ends FGM once and for all.https://x.com/NaguruC/status/1981725399437459663