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Table 2 Summary of the Recommendations and Best Practice Statements [15]

From: Gender equality and human rights approaches to female genital mutilation: a review of international human rights norms and standards

Deinfibulation

 R-1. Deinfibulation is recommended for preventing and treating obstetric complications in women living with type III FGM

 R-2. Either antepartum or intrapartum deinfibulation is recommended to facilitate childbirth in women living with type III FGM

 R-3. Deinfibulation is recommended for preventing and treating urologic complications – specifically recurrent urinary tract infections and urinary retention – in girls and women living with type III FGM

 BP-1. Girls and women who are candidates for deinfibulation should receive adequate preoperative briefing

 BP-2. Girls and women undergoing deinfibulation should be offered local anaesthesia

Mental health

 R-4. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) should be considered for girls and women living with FGM who are experiencing symptoms consistent with anxiety disorders, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

 BP-3. Psychological support should be available for girls and women who will receive or have received any surgical intervention to correct health complications of FGM

Female sexual health

 R-5. Sexual counselling is recommended for preventing or treating female sexual dysfunction among women living with FGM

Information and education

 BP-4. Information, education and communication (IEC)4 interventions regarding FGM and women’s health should be provided to girls and women living with any type of FGM

 BP-5. Health education5 information on deinfibulation should be provided to girls and women living with type III FGM

 BP-6. Health-care providers have the responsibility to convey accurate and clear information, using language and methods that can be readily understood by clients

 BP-7. Information regarding different types of FGM and the associated respective immediate and long-term health risks should be provided to health-care providers who care for girls and women living with FGM

 BP-8. Information about FGM delivered to health workers should clearly convey the message that medicalization is unacceptable

  1. For further information on how the determinations between a recommendation and a best practice statement were made, see WHO 2016 Guidelines [15]
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Reproductive Health

ISSN: 1742-4755