The practice of Fanadu "female circumcision" is a human rights violation that affects almost 50% of the womens in Guinea-Bissau, despite wide range of national and international human rights norms that grant womens right to health and bodily integrity. Nearly 30 years of worldwide campaigns to end the practice - which has resulted in high success rates in neighboring countries such as Senegal - seems not to affect the trends and high incidence rates of the practice in Guinea-Bissau. The book uncovers the reasons for this deeply rooted traditional practice in the specific context of...