The mutilation itself can take many horrifying forms. But the most common cuts fall into three categories. The first is the partial or total removal of the clitoris. The second includes this, plus the partial or total removal of the smaller, inner folds on either side of the vaginal opening. The third is the wholesale narrowing of the vagina’s entrance by cutting and sealing the folds on either side, like a pair of lips being hacked and sewn shut. This final type, known as “infibulation,” is often the most damaging of the three, leaving women with only a tiny gap through which to pee and pass
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