The horrifying issue only 1/3 of the global population is aware of.
Female genital mutilation (FGM) comprises all procedures that
involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other
injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.
FGM is
a violation of the human rights of girls and women. An extreme form of
discrimination against women, it reflects deep-rooted inequality between the
sexes. It is nearly always carried out on minors, which is a violation of the
rights of children. The practice also violates a person's rights to health,
security and physical integrity, the right to be free from torture and cruel,
inhuman or degrading treatment, and the right to life when the procedure
results in death.
There
are 3 forms of FGM.
1. The
partial or total removal of the clitoris
2. The
partial or total removal of the clitoris and labia minora; the narrowing of the
vaginal orifice.
3. In
the third, and most extreme form, the clitoris and labia are cut away with any
sharp object – glass, knife, scissors or razor blade. The labia stumps are then
sewn together. A hole remains the size of a match head for urination, which
commonly leads to pain and frequent infection.
Quick
Facts
-The practice is most common in the western, eastern, and
north-eastern regions of Africa, in some countries in Asia and the Middle East,
and among migrants from these areas.
-Girls
and their families - even if they are now living in Western countries - are put
under tremendous pressure to adhere to this tradition. Over one million girls
and women living in Europe and North America have been forces to undergo FGM- 700,000
victims live in Europe, 140,000 in the UK, 100,000 in France and 500,000 women
in the USA.
-FGM
is mostly carried out on young girls sometime between infancy and age 15.
-10 –
20 infants die per 1,000 births due to FGM on the African continent.
-7 out
of 10 girls will be cut at home, not in a medical establishment. Many FGM
procedures are done by traditional circumcisers, or “cutters”, who are not
doctors.
Health
problems may include
Bleeding
and problems urinating
Cysts
Infections
Infertility
A 70%
increase in postpartum hemorrhage
A 66%
higher risk of emergency resuscitation for baby
A 55%
higher infant mortality rate
Why it
is practiced
70% believe
men prefer to marry a woman who has been excised.
60%
believe that excised wives are more faithful.
50% believe
that excision preserves virginity and prevents adultery.
45% do
not believe that FGM harms a girl’s health or could lead to her death.
Causes
1. Social pressure to conform to what
others do and have been doing for hundreds of years.
2. Considered
a necessary part of raising a girl
properly, and a way to prepare her for adulthood and marriage.
3. Beliefs
that FGM reduces a woman's libido
and therefore she will resist "illicit" sexual acts. When a vaginal
opening is covered or narrowed (type 3 above), the fear of the pain of opening
it is expected to further discourage sex among women.
4. Cultural ideals of femininity and
modesty, which include the notion that girls are “clean” and "beautiful"
after removal of their genitals.
“Girls
are cut to ensure they remain faithful because the sexual organ is not there
anymore. When you are cut you will not be a slut looking for men here and there
like a prostitute.”
'You
are docile, waiting for your husband because after you are cut, sex is for
having children not for anything else.'
-Cutter
Anna-Moora Ndege
“In
the body there is good blood and bad blood. After a girl is cut the bad blood
is gone“
-Cutter
woman Agnes Keruba
Ogeto
said: 'Families worry that their girls will be made outcasts and be shunned if
they are not cut. She would be called names – told that she was smelly, told
that her "organ would grow until it touched the floor".
-Kenyan
anti-FGM campaigner Ester Ogeto
“a
woman with a clitoris 'can't distinguish between her husband and other men'
“They
cannot control their emotions if they have a clitoris”
“uncut
girls 'are told they smell like a dog”
Supermodel
Waris Dirie, has campaigned against the practice, spurred on buy her own
horrific ordeal when she had her genitalia cut and her vagina sewn up using
thorns. She
said: 'The society I grew up in, girls and women are not respected. As a woman
you have no rights. They [men] can abuse you, misuse you, rape you, mutilate
you, beat you up and dismiss you, if they want.
'Nobody
will protect you when you are a woman. People believe a girl will not be
faithful if she develops any sexual feelings or pleasure. Therefore
they destroy the girl's sexuality in cutting her genitals. It is the worst form
of child abuse.'
What’s
being done
The
most important Task is to create awareness among the populations, this in
cooperation with the local authorities – village leaders, imams, pastor and
teachers – and with the involvement of former circumcisers. It is also
necessary, to grant the former circumcisers a small loan, to enable them to
start a new profession. Other projects intend to help directly the girls and
women who are at risk of being mutilated: this can involve basic education,
especially for younger girls, based on the agreement that these girls will not
be circumcised. Medical help is also provided in many cases.
What
you can do
Everyone
can contribute to the fight against FGM by spreading awareness on the topic to
friends, family and through social media outreach. The more the public becomes
aware of the barbaric tradition of FGM, the more we can rally to put a stop to
it.
Visit
Equality Now to take action through advocating or to make a donation!
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