Female genital mutilation is considered to be the most dangerous ritual custom still practised. It is performed in 26 countries, and more than 100 million women have been mutilated, with two million girls subjected to the ordeal each year. The procedure is carried out in Western countries among immigrants from African countries, and it is estimated that the number of girls at risk or who have already been mutilated is 168 000 in the United States, 42 000 in France, and 10 000 in Britain.

We interviewed 14 African women who had undergone the procedure and were living in France. They were all members of African cultural associations unrelated to the campaign to abolish female genital mutilation. Thirteen had …