Is it age, reason or gender?

As the Department of Health announces that female genital piercing counts as female genital mutilitation, we have to question the double standards which inform our definitions.

The Department of Health (DoH) has said that all women who have ‘intimate piercings’ will be classified as having suffered female genital mutilation (FGM), even if they consented to having it done as an adult.

The move follows guidance from the World Health Organization (WHO), whose classification of FGM makes specific reference to both women and girls.