Will We Ever See the End of Female Genital Mutilation?

The United Nations declared February 6 of each year to be the day set aside to protest against the practice of female genital mutilation. This practice has gone on for centuries and is preformed in various parts the world but we mostly know it as an African cultural practice.

Female genital mutilation involves the partial or total removal of the female genitalia. The practice is forbidden in the West because of the obvious mutilation and the risk factors involved. Besides medical reasons, female genital cutting becomes an ethical issue. The practice of female circumcision is performed on a child who has no say over what happens to her body. Her parents must give their consent but the child is often too young to even know what is happening to her.

I can only imagine why any woman would agree to this procedure or have their girls go through it. Are the children afraid or do the willingly go along with what their parents decide for them? After all aren't parents supposed to have the best interest of their little girls at heart?

The practice of female genital mutilation carries many names, female genital mutilation, female genital cutting and female circumcision, but the former two are the preferred terms by the International Associations that oppose this archaic and horrendous practice.

It is good to know that not all African Countries still practice female genital mutilation. Ninety percent of the women in the small and impoverished East African Nation of Eritrea are circumcised. However the women are now against it, realizing the dangers involved in this unnecessary procedure. The National Union of Eritrean Women has helped to convince the government to ban this life threatening procedure and treat women's bodies with the respect they deserve. The government of Eritrea proclaimed in 2007 that, "Female circumcision is a procedure that seriously endangers the health of women, causes them considerable pain and suffering besides threatening their lives," Anyone now engaged in this practice of female circumcision in Eritrea will be fined and or jailed.

The unfortunate situation still remains that female genital mutilation is banned in several African countries at this time but rarely enforced.

Religion and Female Genital Cutting

The Islamic community is divided on this issue; female genital cutting is practiced in some parts of the Arabian Peninsula as well as African nations. However the controversy is based on whether or not female genital cutting is sanctioned or condemned by the Qu'ran.

The practice of female genital cutting is forbidden in Judaism. It was however practiced by a small group of Ethiopian Jews formerly known as the Falasha and who are now living in Israel. A female Jewish doctor could only do the operation at the time it was practiced. Now that Ethiopian Jews live in Israel they no longer practice female genital mutilation. Judaism holds that the body belongs to God and cannot be defiled by humans, with the one exception being male circumcision.

Christianity has never adhered to the practice of female circumcision but some African Christians still practice female genital mutilation as a custom that predates the missionary involvement in Africa.

Types of Female Genital Cutting:
•
Hoodectomy - the removal of the tip of the clitoris•
Removal of the clitoris and labia •
Infibulation which is the removal of the clitoris and labia, sewing up of the vagina, leaving only a small opening for urine and menses to flow through

Infibulation is so severe that women must be opened up for their husband's penetration on their wedding night and then they are cruelly sewn up again. This brutality is just unconscionable. It sickens me as I write this article.

Why are female circumcision done, especially infibulation?

As you may have already suspected the only reason it is done is so that the man can feel assured of his virgin bride. Young women who have not been circumcised would not find a husband. The other women in the village treat them as if they were whores and some men are afraid to have their penis touch a clitoris. This area on the woman's body is considered unclean. Furthermore some African cultures believe that when the baby is delivered if it touches the clitoris it will die.

Some doctors advocate for this procedure defending that males get circumcised for hygiene and the same holds true for the female. Others defend that masturbation is greatly diminished after the female circumcision. They claim that masturbation causes insanity and so they are enhance general female well being by performing the surgery. Still others claim that female genital cutting enhances the beauty of the woman, and makes her spiritually clean so she can prepare food for the members of her household.

Age of Females who Undergo Female Genital Mutilation

General as young a three years old go through female genital mutilation in some African countries. Most of the time there is no anesthesia administered. I don't know how the "so called doctors" can stand listening to the screams of these poor defenseless children.

Risk Factors Associated with Female Genital Cutting

Where the doctors are concerned
•
The use of unsanitary cutting rooms•
The use of un sterilized knives, scissors, needles, razor blades and pieces of glass•
The practice of using the same cutting utensils on several girls without being cleaned•

Risks to the girls
•
Obstruction of urine and menses•
Long term bladder and urinary problems •
Difficulty in birthing •
scarring •
Painful sexual intercourse•
Death of the girls because of hemorrhaging, septicemia and shock.

Thankfully the practice female genital cutting is falling out of favor in such places as the Sudan where some young girls (22 percent) are not going for the operation. African governments are demanding that the procedure be done in a clean hospital setting when done at all, and places like Egypt have eliminated the practice altogether.

Sources:
http://www.bio-medicine.org/medicine-news/Eritrea-Bans-Female-Circumcision-19673-1/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_genital_cutting