Female Genital Mutilation or “FGM” can pose a serious health risk including severe bleeding and problems urinating, and later cysts, infections, complications in childbirth and increased risk of newborn deaths. There are also mental health problems associated with FGM. Though it’s often perceived as a religious practice, FGM has no religious foundation. Motivations range from the psychosexual (controlling women’s sexuality) to cultural, aesthetic and economic. In some regions, FGM can be a prerequisite for the right to inherit, improve a woman’s marriage prospects and provide a source of income to practitioners.