Ghalfa, the Sudanese word describing a girl who has not had her genitals ritually cut, carries connotations of impurity, promiscuity, even prostitution. For many years, the social stigma attached to this word helped keep female genital mutilation or cutting alive in Sudan. Despite efforts to end the practice, prevalence among young girls has declined only slightly from 92 per cent in 1990 to 89 per cent in 2006, the latest year for which data is available. But reframing the conversation about … [Read more...]