Female Genital Mutilation
(FGM)
Female genital mutilation (FGM),
also known as female circumcision or female genital cutting, is defined by the
World Health Organization (WHO) as "all procedures involving partial or
total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female
genital organs for non-medical reasons".
It is estimated that approximately
100-140 million African women have undergone FGM worldwide and each year, a
further 3 million girls are estimated to be at risk of the practice in Africa
alone. Most of them live in African countries, a few in the Middle East and
Asian countries, and increasingly in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, the United
States of America and Canada.
The procedure is traditionally
carried out by an older woman with no medical training. Anesthetics and
antiseptic treatment are not generally used and the practice is usually carried
out using basic tools such as knives, scissors, scalpels, pieces of glass and
razor blades. Often iodine or a mixture of herbs is placed on the wound to
tighten the vagina and stop the bleeding.
The age at which the practice is
carried out varies, from shortly after birth to the labour of the first child,
depending on the community or individual family. The most common age is between
four and ten, although it appears to be falling. This suggests that
circumcision is becoming less strongly linked to puberty rites and initiation
into adulthood.
Types and Terms of FGM
The World Health Organization has classified
FGM into four types. As well as the term Female Genital Mutilation, there are a
number of other terms or names used to describe the practice, perhaps most
common, female circumcision or female genital cutting (FGC). Some chooses to
use the term Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) as we believe that it is the term
that most accurately depicts the true nature of FGM.Female genital mutilation is classified into four major types.
- Clitoridectomy: partial or total removal of the clitoris (a small, sensitive and erectile part of the female genitals) and, in very rare cases, only the prepuce (the fold of skin surrounding the clitoris).
- Excision: partial or total removal of the clitoris and the labia minora, with or without excision of the labia majora (the labia are "the lips" that surround the vagina).
- Infibulation: narrowing of the vaginal opening through the creation of a covering seal. The seal is formed by cutting and repositioning the inner, or outer, labia, with or without removal of the clitoris.
- Other: all other harmful procedures to the female genitalia for non-medical purposes, e.g. pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterizing the genital area.
The majority of cases of FGM are
carried out in 28 African countries. In some countries, (e.g. Egypt, Ethiopia,
Somalia and Sudan), prevalence rates can be as high as 98 per cent. In other
countries, such as Nigeria, Kenya, Togo and Senegal, the prevalence rates vary
between 20 and 50 per cent. It is more accurate however, to view FGM as being
practised by specific ethnic groups, rather than by a whole country, as
communities practising FGM straddle national boundaries. FGM takes place in
parts of the Middle East, i.e. in Yemen, Oman, Iraqi Kurdistan, amongst some
Bedouin women in Israel, and was also practised by the Ethiopian Jews, and it
is unclear whether they continue with the practice now that they are settled in
Israel. FGM is also practised among Bohra Muslim populations in parts of India
and Pakistan, and amongst Muslim populations in Malaysia and Indonesia.
As a result of immigration and
refugee movements, FGM is now being practiced by ethnic minority populations in
other parts of the world, such as USA, Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
Consequences of FGM
Depending
on the degree of mutilation, FGM can have a number of short-term health
implications:
1.
severe pain and shock
2.
infection
3.
urine retention
4.
injury to adjacent tissues
5.
immediate fatal haemorrhaging
Long-term
implications can entail:
1.
extensive damage of the external
reproductive system
2.
uterus, vaginal and pelvic
infections
3.
cysts and neuromas
5.
complications in pregnancy and child
birth
6.
psychological damage
7.
sexual dysfunction
8.
difficulties in menstruation.
In addition to these health
consequences there are considerable psycho-sexual, psychological and social
consequences of FGM.
Justifications
of FGM
The roots of FGM are complex and
numerous; indeed, it has not been exactly possible to determine when or where
the tradition of FGM originated.
The justifications given for the
practise are multiple and reflect the ideological and historical situation of
the societies in which it has developed. Reasons cited generally relate to
tradition, power inequalities and the ensuing compliance of women to the
dictates of their communities.
Reasons include:
1.
custom and tradition
2.
religion; in the mistaken belief
that it is a religious requirement
3.
preservation of virginity/chastity
4.
social acceptance, especially for
marriage
5.
hygiene and cleanliness
6.
increasing sexual pleasure for the
male
7.
family honour
8.
belonging to the group and
conversely the fear of social exclusion
9.
enhancing fertility.
Many women believe that FGM is
necessary to ensure acceptance by their community; they are unaware that FGM is
not practised in most of the world.
Note
This topic was culled from one of our books ’Female Genital Mutilation’.
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