WHO guideline on the prevention of female genital mutilation and clinical management of complications

Overview

In 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) published the WHO guidelines on the management of health complications from female genital mutilation. That publication’s main purpose was to provide evidence-informed recommendations on managing health complications associated with FGM. The current revised guideline has an expanded scope, providing up-to-date recommendations on FGM prevention as well as clinical management of complications.

The process of updating and revising this guideline resulted in eight recommendations relating to training and capacity-building of health workers on FGM prevention and care, including access to capacity-building resources; educational interventions targeting women and girls living with or at risk of FGM as well as men and boys in FGM-affected communities; deinfibulation for women with Type III FGM, including the timing of deinfibulation; mental health interventions for women and girls living with FGM and having symptoms of anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); and surgical and non-surgical sexual health interventions.

In addition, three best practice statements are presented on the development and enforcement of laws and policies against FGM, the need for professional codes of conduct for health workers and the importance of counselling and informed consent prior to deinfibulation. Considerations on implementing the recommendations are also discussed.