Woman participates in community training to combat female genital mutilation
In Guinea, a woman receives education and training in problem-solving skills as part of USAID-supported efforts to encourage communities to abandon female genital mutilation. The traditional practice has negative consequences in the short term, including acute pain, bleeding, infection, and even death. In the long term, the effects can include infertility, urinary blockage and retention, sexual dysfunction due to fear and pain, and depression. In addition, women who have undergone female genital mutilation are significantly more likely to experience poor outcomes when they have children, including labor complications, hemorrhaging, extended hospital stays, and infant death. With community-based education and advocacy from USAID programs, many communities in Guinea have ended the practice of female genital mutilation.
(Elizabeth Fakan/USAID). Original public domain image from Flickr