Stop This Crime of Female Circumcision !
This picture of a woman undergoing female circumcision from the Difficult Images Blog says it all.The pain and agony that woman must have experienced is unbelievable.This surely is a case of Human Rights Abuse and Torture.
Female Genital Mutilation FGM or sometimes called Female Genital Cuttting FGC is a term which still sends shivers through my body.FMG is female circumcision which is used to describe a ritual of removing all or part of the female genitalia.This practice is very common in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
In Africa which is where i come from this practice was used to prepare young girls for womanhood and marriage.This brutal practice has been touted as a passageway for girls from childhood to womanhood and as a way to preserve virginity and fidelity during marriage by restraining the woman in her sexual behavior.In these communities uncircumcised women are considered dirty and outcasts and they risk forced circumcision.
The practice can be carried out any time after the birth of the girl child up to sometime before the first pregnancy.
Though FMG is not included in any formal teaching of any religion it is practiced rampantly within the muslim society.
However this practice is not limited only to the muslim society but it crosses religious barriers and is more of a cultural practice. Most proponents of this female circumcision believe that they are empowering their daughters by ensuring their ability to get married and also to protect the family's reputation.
Other supporters of this practice view it as their right by comparing it with the enlargement of breasts or plastic surgery which is practised in the Western world. And still others look at the criticism of this female circumcision practice as an intrusion upon African cultural practices.
The sad thing is that although many African governments have outlawed female circumcision there is still more than 2 million girls at risk of having FGM each year.Most of these governments have been silent on enforcing these laws by showing lack of interest and apathy.Even girls in countries like United States are still at risk with the African Women's Health Center giving a figure of 228,000 women having either undergone FGM or are at risk.
The WHO and the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, along with several African and Asian nations, have called for an end to the practice of female circumcision which they see as violent acts against women.There is also growing international support for condemnation of FGM and a call for severe penalties to be given to those who practice it.
But even with these laws women are still being circumcised .This practice is deeply entrenched in the culture and mixed with complex issues of taboo and superstitions.
Just to see how entrenched the customs are in Kenya a motion to outlaw female circumcision was overwhelmingly defeated, not because of the male dominance, but because even some of the women members of parliament voted against outlawing FGM. The women pro-FGM lobbyists argued that the "practice reduces women's sexual drive and therefore promiscuity, premarital sex and adultery."
In this lens I want to raise the awareness about female circumcision and also look at the health problems associated with female circumcision and exploring the most popular approaches used to eliminate this practice in Africa and more specifically in Kenya.
Female circumcision is sexual violence
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byHealth Problems Caused by Female Circumcision
Female circumcision or Female Genital Multilation FGM can cause a range of health issues and complications both physical and psychological.
Bleeding or hemorrhaging can take place and if it persists it can cause death.
Infection due to use of unsterilised tools can develop into an abscess and if untreated get septic and be fatal.
Problems of going to the bathroom by straining in the normal flow of urine and on the other hand uncontrollable flow of urine depending on the extent of the circumcision.
The practice leaves scars which can make sex very painful.
Painful menstruation.
Increase risks of sexually transmittted diseases (STDs) including hepatitis and HIV/AIDS by use of of unsterilised tools being used in unclean condition and sharing of the same tools.
Female circumcision could deprive the girls of ever having any sexual sensation.
Problems getting pregnant and during pregnancy and labor.
Psychological and emotional stress. FGC is typically performed on very young girls. The psychological effects of this painful experience are similar to those of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Bleeding or hemorrhaging can take place and if it persists it can cause death.
Infection due to use of unsterilised tools can develop into an abscess and if untreated get septic and be fatal.
Problems of going to the bathroom by straining in the normal flow of urine and on the other hand uncontrollable flow of urine depending on the extent of the circumcision.
The practice leaves scars which can make sex very painful.
Painful menstruation.
Increase risks of sexually transmittted diseases (STDs) including hepatitis and HIV/AIDS by use of of unsterilised tools being used in unclean condition and sharing of the same tools.
Female circumcision could deprive the girls of ever having any sexual sensation.
Problems getting pregnant and during pregnancy and labor.
Psychological and emotional stress. FGC is typically performed on very young girls. The psychological effects of this painful experience are similar to those of post-traumatic stress disorder.
90% of their women have undergone female circumcision
Eritrea is a small country situated at the Horn of Africa and inhabited by both Christians and Muslims and other nine ethnic groups who all practice Female genital mutilation(FMG). About 90% of Eritrean women have undergone this ordeal. A former circumciser narrates how they use crude tools like razor blade, scissors, kitchen knives and even pieces of glass to circumcise often more than one girl in very unhygienic conditions.
For a three year old girl Amira a law banning Female genital mutilation came too late after her mother circumcised her to please her future husband. Eritrea banned Female genital mutilation (FMG) in April 2007. The government has imposed a fine of up to several hundred dollars or a jail term up to 10 years but it is still felt that female circumcision is too ingrained in the culture to have much impact in stopping the practice.
The uncircumcised women are looked upon as prostitutes by other women and there is the superstition that a man would die if he slept with an uncircumcised woman. There is also the belief that they are unclean and will not find husbands.
Although the new law is a milestone a long process of public education is required to eradicate female circumcision because this practice is still deeply rooted in the Eritrean culture.
For a three year old girl Amira a law banning Female genital mutilation came too late after her mother circumcised her to please her future husband. Eritrea banned Female genital mutilation (FMG) in April 2007. The government has imposed a fine of up to several hundred dollars or a jail term up to 10 years but it is still felt that female circumcision is too ingrained in the culture to have much impact in stopping the practice.
The uncircumcised women are looked upon as prostitutes by other women and there is the superstition that a man would die if he slept with an uncircumcised woman. There is also the belief that they are unclean and will not find husbands.
Although the new law is a milestone a long process of public education is required to eradicate female circumcision because this practice is still deeply rooted in the Eritrean culture.
Books on the Horror of Female Circumcision
Female Circumcision: Multicultural Perspectives (Pennsylvania Studies in Human Rights)
Amazon Price: $19.45 (as of 11/30/2009) 
The Female Circumcision Controversy: An Anthropological Perspective
Amazon Price: $24.75 (as of 11/30/2009)
Excising the Spirit: A Literary Analysis of Female Circumcision
Amazon Price: $24.95 (as of 11/30/2009)
Transcultural Bodies: Female Genital Cutting in Global Context
Amazon Price: $75.00 (as of 11/30/2009)
Female "Circumcision" in Africa: Culture, Controversy, and Change (Directions in Applied Anthropology: Adaptations & Innovations)
Amazon Price: $22.50 (as of 11/30/2009)
The female circumcision abuse has to stop, how can you help?
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- Kate-Phizackerley Kate-Phizackerley Nov 4, 2009 @ 3:03 pm
- It's an issue which really gets to me. I spent time with some of the women who attended an African congress on this a few years ago and they were amazing people.
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- LaurieBeth LaurieBeth Oct 17, 2009 @ 6:32 pm
- This is such an incredibly important topic. Thank you for making this lens. 5* and lensrolled on Products & Entertainment for Generation XYZ and Online Shopping with a Conscience.
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- Kate-Phizackerley Kate-Phizackerley Oct 16, 2009 @ 3:27 pm
- This is a lens which I would consider blessing but I cannot at present because of the hugely spammy Plexo. If you get ris of that - or curate it properly - let me know and I'll happlily fly back again.
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- almawad almawad Jun 30, 2009 @ 8:26 am
- It is a terrible thing ! The other side of the story is that it is practiced first of all in Africa and it is an African tradition !
I live in the Middle East ,Qatar . Here it has never been a tradition and it is strictly forbidden ! Nor in the neighboring countries ...Just this fact is never reported !
In spite of the ban and so still many westerner believes that it is "something Arab " or "something Muslim" ...
It is a nice cause to fight against the FMG - but it is disgusting as they wash things together and turn it into an anti Arab or anti Muslim propaganda ...
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Reply
- poutine poutine Apr 30, 2009 @ 6:48 am
- This is so horrible.
Why isnt the WHO doing something tangible about it?
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Reply
- mikeitloffe mikeitloffe Apr 24, 2009 @ 1:51 am
- How sad. I still cannot understand how human beings can produce similar horrors. Keep on informing.
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- LadyChicana LadyChicana Nov 19, 2008 @ 11:00 pm
- I Do not agree with female circumcision at all, I believe it is an act of violence towards woman. The sad part is that women and grandmothers are the ones that want to keep this tradition among their younger women. However, what can we do when it is part of a religion? To them, their religion is stronger than anything else and no one should interfere with that. Hopefully as women we can help create a different mentality towards these type of cirmcumcisions!
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Hi This is MMs!
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