Institute for War & Peace Reporting (IWPR) has reported that hundreds of girls from Georgia’s ethnic Avar community have been forced to undergo female genital mutilation (FGM). The Georgian Authorities told the IWPR that they were unaware that the practise of cutting was being carried out in the Kvareli district of Kakheti, which has a large muslim Avar population.
An Avar woman quoted in the report said, “We are Muslims. We fast during Ramadan. We observe our Islamic customs. Circumcision is also our custom. We cannot do without it,”
FGM, also known as female circumcision, has been condemned by the director of the National Centre for Disease control as carrying numerous health risks including infection, hepatitis and tetanus.
The United Nations has also declared the practise a human rights violation and a form of discrimination against women. A spokesperson from the human rights committee of Georgia´s parliament told IWPR that they would now investigate the issue.
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Female CircumcisionIWPRFGMAvar CommunityFemale CircumcisionNews ItemPoliticsCultureSocietyAside articleNoBefore article text