Women must undergo female genital mutilation to curb male 'sexual weakness', Egyptian MP says

Nine out of 10 Egyptian women between the ages 15 to 49 have undergone FGM

Matt Payton
Friday 09 September 2016 15:54 BST
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More than 125 million women are thought to be currently living with the consequences of FGM
More than 125 million women are thought to be currently living with the consequences of FGM

An Egyptian MP has said women must undergo female genital mutilation (FGM) to help curb male "sexual weakness".

Elhamy Agina also claimed FGM would help reduce women's "sexual appetites" despite the procedure being illegal since 2008.

Mr Agina said stopping the procedure could only be an option if Eypt had "strong men" able to control their own libidos, Parlamy reports.

He added: "We are a population whose men suffer from sexual weakness, which is evident because Egypt is among the biggest consumers of sexual stimulants that only the weak will consume.

"If we stop [female genital mutilation], we will need strong men and we don’t have men of that sort."

Nine out of 10 Egyptian women between the ages 15 to 49 have undergone FGM, according to the 2015 Egyptians Health Issues Survey.

FGM entails the removal of some or all female external genitalia normally on a pre-pubescent girl using a razor, sometimes without anaesthetic.

There is no medical justification for FGM, indeed it can lead to long-term problems with sex, childbirth and mental health.

While banned in many countries including the UK, it has long been a common practice across Africa.

Between January and March, the NHS recorded 1,242 new cases of FGM including 11 girls born in the UK.

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