FGM

Female gential mutilation (FGM) is the practice of removing parts, or even all, of a woman’s external genitalia and shockingly, it still affects roughly 133 million women throughout Africa and Asia (http://en.wikipedia.org). It is not only a non-Western issue; despite being illegal in the UK, it’s estimated that 20,000+ girls below 15 years of age are at risk of undergoing FGM each year, whilst nearly 70,000 women in the UK are suffering from the consequences of FGM (http://www.nhs.uk). The harmful ritual tends to be carried out before girls reach puberty, meaning that generally girls are “cut” between infancy and 15 years. The exact procedure varies cross-culturally, however non-sterile equipment such as scissors, glass, sharpened rocks and horrifyingly, fingernails, are frequently used. The procedure is normally carried out by an older woman with no medical training, and anaesthetic is far from guaranteed; in 1995, women in Egypt reported that local anaesthetic was used on their daughters 60% of the time, general anaesthetic was used 13% of the time and 25% of the time neither were used, meaning that ¼ of FGMs in Egypt are performed without painkillers (http://en.wikipedia.org). It has no known health benefits and unsurprisingly causes both short term and long term complications, such as heavy (even fatal) bleeding, infections, cysts, infertility and serious issues regarding urination and intercourse.

The reasons for female genital mutilation include cultural, social and religious reasons, however it should be noted that no religious scriptures actually condone the practise. It is often considered a cultural tradition, and social pressure to conform is responsible for many “circumcisions”. However, ultimately female genital mutilation stems from misogyny. In many communities it is believed that FGM reduces female libido and therefore it is practised in order to prevent women from having sexual relationships before marriage. Cultural ideals of femininity are also responsible for FGM, as in some communities genitalia is considered unclean or male, therefore the removal of this external genitalia is believed to promote hygiene and femininity.

Since 1996 attempts have been made to prevent FGM through research, work within communities and changes of policies. There has been significant progress in the past few years, such as increased international involvement, growing political support (for example, a law against FGM was passed in 24 countries), an increasing number of people in FGM practising communities supporting the end of FGM and decreased prevalence of FGM. Organisations such as Amnesty International recognise the cultural reasons for FGM and therefore advocate symbolic ceremonies as a rite of passage instead, which I believe is important as it respects culture whilst preventing physical harm to women. There are growing campaigns against FGM within practising communities due to women such as Agnes Pareyio, whose monumental efforts have prevented over 2000 girls from being subjected to FGM. More information about her work can be found here: http://www.onebillionrising.org/4964/rise4justice-blog-series-tasaru-safe-house-girls-update-fight-female-genital-mutilation-early-forced-childhood-marriage-agnes-pareyio/

Despite the progress, the harsh reality is that millions and millions of girls and women are suffering the consequences of FGM, and many are still in danger of undergoing it. An increased awareness of female genital mutilation means an increased ability to help; the NHS provides helplines for people who may be subjected to FGM or for people who have had FGM at http://www.nhs.uk/NHSENGLAND/ABOUTNHSSERVICES/SEXUAL-HEALTH-SERVICES/Pages/fgm-resources.aspx and details about health clinics at http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/AboutNHSservices/sexual-health-services/Pages/fgm-health-services-for-women.aspx

Written by Olivia

Picture Credit: Ellen

http://www.feminist.org/global/fgm.html

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs241/en/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_genital_mutilation#Changes_in_prevalence

(http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/female-genital-mutilation/Pages/Introduction.aspx)