Female Genital Mutilation in Mauritania A Tool of Repression and Torture Against Lesbian Women

A Violent Legacy Rooted in Tradition

In Mauritania, female genital mutilation (FGM) is a deeply rooted tradition, often justified as a way to preserve "purity" and "chastity" in young girls. However, at its core, this violent act represents a form of control over women's bodies, used to suppress sexual and psychological freedom.

According to the World Health Organization, more than 66% of girls in Mauritania undergo some form of female genital mutilation, usually without medical or legal oversight, in unsafe environments.

A Tool of Repression Against Lesbian Women

For lesbian women, FGM goes beyond being a community tradition — it becomes a deliberate tool of repression aimed at breaking their sexual identity and "correcting" their desires under the guise of religion or honor. In a society where same-sex relationships are criminalized, lesbian women face various forms of violence, including FGM, forced marriages, house arrest, and social stigma.

This type of violence represents a hidden form of torture based on discrimination, with women's bodies targeted as a means of punishment for their sexual orientation, in a country with no legal protection or recognition of their rights.

State Silence and Societal Complicity

Despite Mauritania signing several international agreements against violence toward women, FGM continues to be widely practiced with no clear legal deterrent. There are no stringent laws criminalizing this practice or effective mechanisms for protecting victims or prosecuting offenders.

Lesbian women, in particular, are the most vulnerable in this context, unable to report or seek protection due to fear of social stigma or legal persecution in a country that criminalizes same-sex relations, where violence is perpetrated under the pretext of "morality" and "religion."

A Call for Solidarity and Action

The use of FGM as a tool to suppress lesbian women in Mauritania is a severe human rights violation and a silent form of torture. There is an urgent need for international action to pressure the Mauritanian government to end these practices and enact laws that ensure the protection of women from all forms of identity-based violence.

Silence is complicity, and societal complicity is as egregious as the act itself. Lesbian women in Mauritania need real solidarity, justice, and safety, along with the dignity and freedom they deserve.