Female Circumcision in Netherlands: Rising Cases & Migration Link

The number of circumcised women in the Netherlands has increased in recent years – from 40,994 in 2018 to 43,428 in 2023. This is evident from new figures from Pharos expertise center Health Differences that were presented on Tuesday during a symposium on, among other things, female genital mutilation. The results will be published in April in a study commissioned by the Ministry of Health.

In addition to this group, it is estimated that another 29,000 girls in the Netherlands may be at risk of being circumcised in the next twenty years. These are girls from countries where circumcision is common. According to the researchers, a smaller proportion (2,600) run a “real risk” of being circumcised in the coming years, for example because circumcision is common within their family.

Female genital mutilation – the partial or complete removal or damage of the external genitalia without medical indication – is anchored in ideas about femininity and sexuality. By circumcising girls they are seen as clean, chaste and marriageable.

In the Netherlands, this practice has been prohibited and punishable for more than thirty years and carries a maximum prison sentence of sixteen years. It is also a criminal offense if the circumcision is performed abroad on someone who lives in the Netherlands.

‘Tip of the iceberg’

According to the Pharos study, the increase in the number of circumcisions is related to migration. More and more women in the Netherlands were born in countries where genital mutilation occurs. About two-thirds of circumcised women in the Netherlands come from Somalia, Ethiopia or Eritrea. Girls from Egypt, Iraq and Ghana, among others, are also at risk of being circumcised.

This concerns two groups: women who were already circumcised before coming to the Netherlands and girls who were born here and are still at risk of being circumcised, for example during a holiday in the country of origin.

Elsewhere in Europe there were already “indications” that the interventions were also being carried out there, Pharos said – for example in France, Italy, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The evidence is lacking in the Netherlands. According to gynecologist Wendela Kolkman, it is “naive” to think that it does not happen in the Netherlands. She works as a gynecologist at the Haga Hospital and treats circumcised women every week. “It’s the tip of the iceberg.”

During her consultation hours, Kolkman notices that the subject is still difficult to discuss, both within migrant communities and among professionals. “Emergency workers and doctors experience shyness in starting a conversation, even though this is their job.” The reluctance is partly due to uncertainty. For example, professionals are afraid of crossing cultural boundaries or damaging the trust of patients. This means that signals can be ignored and circumcision can go undiscussed.

In addition, healthcare providers sometimes lack knowledge. In women and girls who repeatedly visit the doctor with, for example, a bladder infection, the underlying cause is not always sought.

Especially prevention

The increase in the number of circumcised women does not automatically mean that the problem is better understood. Many women are not yet finding their way in the Dutch healthcare system, says Kolkman, especially if they have just arrived in the Netherlands or do not speak the language. Women in asylum seeker centers are often still in survival mode and face many other problems, which means they are sometimes not ready for information about circumcision.

It also regularly happens that girls return circumcised after their holiday, says Senait Tekie. Tekie works as a ‘key figure’ for the GGD in The Hague, and mainly informs Eritrean women about the dangers of genital mutilation. She herself was circumcised when she was a few months old. According to Pharos, most girls are circumcised between the ages of four and 12 and this can differ per country. “Girls from Somalia in particular are at great risk during their holidays,” says Tekie. “The parents then leave their daughter with family, after which she is circumcised.”

Genital mutilation can lead to serious physical and psychological problems. In the most drastic form, in which the vaginal opening is narrowed, childbirth can be problematic, says Kolkman. According to Kolkman, women often do not know that their complaints are related to the mutilation. Complications can be prevented or complaints resolved through surgery.

The Dutch approach focuses mainly on prevention and care, less on the criminal law side. An important role is reserved for key people from, for example, the Somali or Ethiopian communities, who make contact with parents and girls and provide information about the dangers of female circumcision.

Ban in the United Kingdom

Research by the Scientific Research and Data Center (WODC) showed at the end of last year that potential victims are insufficiently protected and are often identified “(too) late or not at all”. The WODC argued for additional legislation and protective measures.

In the United Kingdom, potential victims can be banned from leaving if signals are received that a girl is in danger of being circumcised during a holiday in her country of origin. Care workers, teachers or family members can apply to the court for a court protection order for this. In the Netherlands this does not happen, or rarely happens. There has never been a criminal case in the Netherlands since the circumcision ban.

According to Kolkman, Pharos’s figures underline the need for continued attention – not only in healthcare but also in education. Every circumcised woman who receives appropriate care is a gain, says Kolkman, but real prevention starts with awareness: “Here, but especially in countries where it is common.”

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