Female Genital Mutilation (1457 words)
Female Genital MutilationFemale Genital Mutilation
The practice of female genital mutilation, also known as female
circumcision, occurs throughout the world, but it is most
common in Africa. Female genital mutilation is a tradition and
social custom to keep a young girl pure and a married woman
faithful. In Africa it is practiced in the majority of the continent
including Kenya, Nigeria, Mali, Upper Volta, Ivory Coast,
Egypt, Mozambique and Sudan. It is a cross-cultural and
cross-religious ritual, which is performed by Muslims, Coptic
Christians, Protestants, Catholics and members of various
indigenous groups. Female genital mutilation is usually
performed on girls before they reach puberty. It is a
procedure where either part or the entire clitoris is surgically
removed leaving a reduced or total lack of sexual feeling. This
procedure is an attempt to reduce the sex drive of women,
making them less likely to be sexually active before marriage
or engage in extra-marital affairs. Although this procedure can
be seen as a means to control a woman’s sexuality, the act of
female circumcision determines the gender identity of women.
A circumcised woman is a virgin, ready for marriage and to
bear children for her husband, ?Girls who are infibulated will
probably not find husbands. In most cases they will become
outcasts.? Female genital mutilation is not a new practice. In
fact circumcised females have been discovered among the
mummies of ancient Egyptians. A Greek papyrus dated 163
BC refers to operations performed on girls at the age they
received their dowries. A Greek geographer reported the
custom of circumcision of girls he found while visiting Egypt
in 25 BC. In Africa female circumcision has been reported in
at least twenty-six countries and can be viewed as a public
health problem ?because of its wide geographic distribution,
the number of females involved and the serious complications
caused by the operation.? Female genital mutilation is
practiced in three major forms: ?Sunna? circumcision,
Clitoridectomy, and Infibulation. Sunna circumcision consists
of the removal of the tip of the clitoris and/or the prepuce
(covering). Clitoridectomy, also referred to as excision,
consists of the removal of the entire clitoris (both prepuce and
glans) and removal of the adjacent labia. Infibulation, also
referred to as pharaonic circumcision, is the most extreme
form. The clitoris is removed as well as the adjacent labia and
the scraped sides of the vulva are joined across the vagina.
The sides are secured with thorns or sewn with catgut or
thread, allowing a small opening for the passage of urine and
menstrual blood. Female genital mutilation is often compared
to male circumcision. Both procedures remove all or part of
the functioning genitalia and both seek to control the body and
sexuality. However, this is where the similarities end. All
comparisons aside female circumcision is far more drastic and
damaging both physically and psychologically. A more
precise analogy would be between a clitoridectomy and
penisdectomy where the entire penis is removed. The
traditional performers of the circumcision and the age at which
it is performed vary among the different African ethnic
groups. The majority are village midwives who perform these
operations for a living and enjoy a position of status in the
village. Others who perform the operation include gypsies and
fortunetellers. These women’s knowledge of anatomy and
hygiene are minimal. The tools they use to operate with are
rarely sterilized and include knives, razor blades, scissors, and
in some cases sharp stones and pieces of broken glass. These
instruments are used on several girls in succession without
being sterilized and the patient is rarely given anesthesia.
Circumcision among the Yoruba occurs one week after birth
while in Ethiopia girls are operated on after they are forty days
old. In Somalia individuals or groups of girls are operated
when they are between the ages of five and eight. In Kenya,
many girls are circumcised between the ages of eleven and
fifteen while in the Ivory Coast the operations are performed
as a village puberty rite. In midwestern Nigeria operations
occur before the birth of the first child. In the Mossi area of
Burkin Faso, group circumcisions are held every three years
for girls between the ages of five and eight. Girls line up with
their mothers each waiting their turn. Meanwhile, the
circumcisor ?uses a knife-like instrument reserved specifically
for this purpose; after each operation she simply wipes the
knife on a piece of cloth, sometimes rinsing it in water first.?
Before the operation takes place there is a small ceremony
where the girl drinks tea and sometimes eats sweets and
snacks. Afterwards, the girl is given hot porridge with butter
to eat and some water to drink. The female is operated on
while in a sitting position or lying on her back with her thighs
being held apart. The operator uses a cutting instrument, a
collection of thorns for suturing the wound, and a powder
mixture of sugar, gum, and other herbs, ashes or pulverized
animal manure, which is later applied to control excessive
hemorrhaging. The child is in so much pain that some have
actually bitten their tongues off. If the child faints, powder is
blown up her nose to revive her. When the operation is
completed, usually within fifteen minutes, the wound is closed
and the women present are allowed to inspect the wound to
ensure that the procedure was properly completed. Finally, the
girl is sutured and the powder mixture is applied. The girl must
then remain immobilized for up to three weeks in order to heal
properly. In most recent cases, educated families are choosing
to have the procedure done in sterile environments such as
hospitals and by paramedical personnel. The child is given a
local anesthesia, which reduces the pain but because the child
does not struggle more unnecessary tissue is removed. This is
not the final operation that these women must endure.
Re-infibulation is carried out on women who are divorced or
who become widowed. When a woman marries or remarries
she must be deinfibulated, enlarging the enclosed vulva. In
some parts of Africa this must be done by the husband on the
wedding night, using a piece of glass or wood. In the northern
part of Somalia a midwife opens up the woman on her
wedding night in the presence of her husbands relatives.
Besides the initial pain of this operation there are long-term
physiological, sexual and psychological effects. Unsanitary
conditions result in infections of the genital and surrounding
areas and often results in the transmission of the HIV virus.
Other side effects include: hemorrhaging, shock, painful scars,
keloid formation, labial adherence, clitoridal cysts, delayed
menarche, genital malformation, urinary infection and pelvic
infections. When the woman is older she will most likely have
gynecological and obstetric problems including sterility. In
cases where death occurs the practitioner is seldom blamed.
In these cases, the death is blamed on the act of an enemy, the
evil spirits, or is excused as God’s will. Infibulated women
experience depression, anxiety, irritability, and reduced
feelings of femininity. Sexual and marital problems are very
common because women become frigid and do not enjoy
sexual intercourse because of the lack of nerve supply in the
vaginal region. Pregnant women tend to eat less than they
should because they fear their babies will grow too large to
pass through the vaginal canal in a. The justifications for
female genital mutilation vary from culture to culture but they
all possess one central theme: to keep a woman pure and
faithful. A woman who is infibulated will be less likely to
engage in pre-marital intercourse and adultery. Other reasons
suggest that female genital mutilation prevents vaginal cancer,
prevents nervousness and prevents the face from turning
yellow. The removal of the clitoris is believed to make the face
more beautiful, eliminate vaginal odors and preserve the life of
her husband and child. Some believe that the clitoris is a
poisonous organ which can cause a man to sicken and die
upon contact. If the baby’s head contacts the clitoris during
birth it is believed that it will be born with excess cranial fluid
and the mother’s milk will turn to poison. Although female
genital mutilation is illegal in some countries of Africa, this has
not reduced the number of girls mutilated each year. Those
who practice female genital mutilation do not report it and
most of the time it occurs in remote places where the
government does not have easy access. Therefore, the
governments of these countries have no way of monitoring the
spread and practice of female genital mutilation. Adding to
these difficulties is the uncooperation of the women who seek
out the operation. Women are often unwilling to change these
customs because it is the way things have always been done.
Going against this custom would be refusing to follow in their
mothers, grandmothers, and aunts footsteps, which would
bring shame against herself and tarnish her family honor.
Female genital mutilation is such a brutal and barbaric practice
that it is amazing it is still occurs today. The health hazards
associated with it should be enough to have it terminated.
However, the reasons women have forgoing through with the
operation is the custom of female genital mutilation is so
engrained in their sociocultural system. The importance of
family honor, virginity, chastity, purity, marriageability, and
childbearing in these societies cannot be overstressed.
Therefore in the minds of the people who adhere to this belief,
the benefits gained from this operation for the girl and her
family far outweigh any potential danger.
Social Issues
