According to the WHO, the four types of female genital mutilation are: clitoridectomy, excision, infibulation and the other category consisting of painful procedures such as scraping, piercing, cauterizing and cutting. Clitoridectomy is a procedure which removes part of, or the entire clitoris. Excision is the removal of the clitoris and labia minora (sometimes also the labia majora). The most extreme form of FGM is infibulation, it is a procedure in which the vaginal opening is closed or narrowed by cutting and repositioning tissues.
There are ZERO health benefits of these procedures, but many risks. Some of the most concerning risks are infection, bleeding, fertility issues and birth defects. The mutilation occurs most frequently from the time of birth to 15. Although we are most aware of this occuring in Africa, it also happens in Asia, the middle east and in some communities in Europe and North America. The WHO states that "In Africa, about 92 million girls age 10 years and above are estimated to have undergone FGM". FGM is considered in some groups to be a coming of age practice. Most commonly, it's goal is to stop women from feeling any type of sexual pleasure and keep them pure until marriage. Sexual intercourse after FGM is extremely painful. If a women has undergone infibulation, her new husband will often stab her vagina to reopen it so that he can have sex with her on their wedding night (I know thats a pretty graphic description but it's the sad truth). The WHO issued a joint statement with UNICEF and the United Nations Population Fund against the practice of FGM in 1997, the same year that Canada enacted anti-FGM laws.
Here is a list of the African nations which have also passed anti-FGM laws (link):
Benin (2003)
Burkina Faso (1996)
Central African Republic (1966)
Chad (2003)
Côte d'Ivoire (1998)
Djibouti (1994)
Egypt (2008)
Eritrea (2007)
Ethiopia (2004)
Ghana (1994)
Guinea (1965, 2000)
Kenya (2001)
Mauritania (2005)
Niger (2003)
Senegal (1999)
South Africa (2005)
Tanzania (1998)
Togo (1998)
Nigeria (multiple states, 1999-2002)
The picture was taken from here.
It's even hard to imagine some of that stuff, and it's so awfull that women were experiencing that kind of pain and consequences that FGM caused.Why was it practiced anyway?
ReplyDeleteIt's practised to ensure that women stay 'pure' until their wedding night. Also it's goal is to suppress females sex drive and ensure that they don't enjoy sex.
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