A couple days ago I came across an article that
made me stop and think about the importance of this subject. It was only on May
5th that Nigeria has officially passed a law making female genital
mutilation (FGM) illegal. This cruel ritual is practiced mostly in 27 African
countries but also in Yemen, Iraqi Kurdistan and even some parts of Asia. It
touches girls of all ages, from newborns to teenagers. There three types of
female circumcision, depending on its severity. The most general definition
accepted by WHO, UNICEF and UNFPA in 1997, states that FGM is the partial or total removal of the external female
genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.
In most cases, the procedure is performed by other women with no anesthesia in
awful, non-sterile conditions. It is not uncommon to use dirty, rusty razor
blades and wooden needles for stitching and closing the wound. There are no known medical benefits of this
procedure while complications and side effects can be deadly. Women can
experience notorious infections, chronic pain, bleeding, infertility and even
death around the time of the ritual or childbirth. This ritual is deeply rooted in the cultures
where it occurs. It aims to gain control over girls’ sexuality and secure her
purity for the husband. Mothers often force their daughters to undergo this
procedure in fear that if someone will discover that the girl is uncut the
family will face persecution and social exclusion.
Historical evidence of female circumcision can
be found in documents dating as far back as ancient Egypt, however there has
been no physical signs on discovered mummies. What shocked me while researching
this subject, was the fact that even in 19th century Europe and
United States, female circumcision was a method for curing insanity,
nymphomania and hysteria. Luckily, with the growth of opposition public
awareness was raised and different countries begun taking legal actions to
prevent FGM. However, this painful subject is still very new in terms of media
coverage and data collection. The first survey that contained questions
touching this matter was conducted in northern Sudan in the years 1989 and
1990.
Currently it is estimated that there are 125
million girls and women who have survived this procedure. Since FGM has been
under legal regulations there is a decrease in performed FGM. The biggest drop
has been noted in countries with lower prevalence and unfortunately those which
high prevalence still show alarmingly high popularity. It is visible that all
work done by various governments and organizations is bringing positive
effects, however there is still much to be done to ensure the safety of women
around the world.
In the end, I want to show you a short clip
from the movie “Desert Flower”, describing the story of a girl who escaped to
London from Somalia and became a fashion model. This allowed her to start
fighting with the terrifying practice that she has experienced herself and help
others.
Sources:
Comments
I'm against any forced mutilation of the body both female and male. So I'm also against circumcision and I don't understand why it is still acceptable in western culture to cut off a part of a person's (child's) body without their consent. Regardless if it's a religious reason or not (I was surprised that circumcision is so popular in United States among not religious people as a cosmetic procedure) it's not acceptable to make a decision like that for anybody.
Here is a funny and informative video about circumcision: http://www.collegehumor.com/video/6966989/the-real-reason-youre-circumcised
What do you think about the opinion of some anthropologists, that the way in which FGM is being fought with currently, creates an effect of dehumanization of those that perform this ritual (as the cultural aspect is not taken into consideration) and it does not help in spreading women's equality?
I knew that circumcision is quite popular in the States, but I was surprised to find statistics stating that in 2005, 56% of male newborns had the procedure before release from the hospital. There is also quite a lot of teenage boys who decide themselves to undergo this procedure.
Like Cezary, I'm afraid that the official ban on FGM isn't enough to stop this procedure from happening. Many people will avoid this new law. But it's a good start I think.
Very good it is the authority in Nigeria sees these problems and trying to take steps to reduce the scales of FGM. Perhaps the official prohibit such actions will not solve the problem completely, but it certainly will increase awareness of the people in this area.
I also think that banning it won't help - because in Africa there will be people that will still believe in it. But it's still a good step to educate people, that it does harm.
I've also heard that this ritual prevents women from having pleasure from sex (or minimalizes it).
If doing such things can have a special meaning for them then they are even worst, do you agree?
This problem is very important, but there are hundreds of other problems that Africa has. It is not easy to just ban something, african people very often don't know what their rights are or just don't care...
Unfortunately ban won't change anything, only education can do it.
I have watched the whole 'desert flower' movie and I was really shocked. I found out how much these practices are awful.