The organisation Human Rights Watch issued a detailed report about the prevalence of FGM amongst Kurdish women in Iraq yesterday. Although there are no official statistics on the prevalence of FGM in the Kurdish region of Iraq, studies have estimated that between 40 and 80 percent of the women and girls in Iraqi Kurdistan are victims of FGM.

The report by Human Rights Watch includes detailed interviews with victims in which they describe the cruelty and physical and well as psychological pain of the procedure.

Although the regional government in the region states that FGM is illegal, Human Rights Watch say they found no evidence that this law is being enforced.

“We regularly receive emails from Iraqi women affected by FGM or people who tell us it exists in their communities. It is very important to recognise this problem and to put pressure on the local authorities to enforce a ban on FGM” says Waris Dirie

Source: CNN
Human Rights Watch