Female genital mutilation as the word suggests damages the female genitals.
This world can be so cruel to women can be explained and understood after knowing about female genital mutilation.
Female genital mutilation means the partial or complete removal of a female’s external genitalia or stitching of those areas for non-medical reasons. This practice involves severe pain and trauma and has only negative effects. It is performed in front of the family members of the girl . It causes various problems and women suffer from extreme pain during their menstrual cycle which leads to severe infections and various complications during childbirth and there is a high risk of newborn death.
It is a violation of women’s rights and is a risky practice which hampers her right to life. It showcases extreme discrimination between males and females and the deep-rooted discriminatory mindset of people. It also violates the right to health, security and life of women. It directly neglects their choices and says. And it is of no good for the people and has only negative results. It is done to please the male community and has its cultural but discriminatory and absurd explanations.
Female genital mutilation in African countries Sudan, Egypt, Somalia, Sierra
Female genital mutilation practice is widely prevalent in African countries and most importantly in the Horn of Africa which has countries- Guinea, Somalia, Sierra, Leone, Mauritania, Mali and Burkina Faso, as well as in Sudan and Egypt.
There are different types of female genital mutilation. And these are as follows-
- The first one is the partial or complete removal of clitoral gans which is the most visible part of the genital and most sensitive too.
- Then is the partial or complete removal of the clitoral glans and the labia minora.
- And the third type is the narrowing of the vagina by covering it with a seal of labia majora or minor at times through stitching.
- The last is the most painful one as it includes all other harmful ways like inciting, piercing, scraping and other painful means.
Only just reading about it gives us goosebumps and frightens us to the core but what those women would have suffered is a big question to answer as their pain cannot be measured or expressed in just words.
More than 200 million women and girls have been subject to such heinous practices of Female genitalmutilation. This is mainly carried out on girls between infancy and 15 years of age and is mainly done to make the transition from a girl to a woman which according to these societies is highly required and to produce a pure women as a gift to her husband on their first night which is more like a marital rape for the female and a satisfaction and enjoyment for the male.
This practice has been declared a violation of the human rights of women and girls and therefore needs to come to notice and actions should be taken.
Many healthcare professionals participate in this activity so that the whole procedure is safe and leads to better results.
It’s Prevalence in the world
FGM is highly prevalent in African countries like Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea etc and has its own beliefs and explanations for there are sociocultural reasons behind it in the Continent. It is considered completely normal and important for the people there and is not at all considered bad or harmful.
It is also practiced in some countries in Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America.
Reasons behind such practices
Socio-cultural reasons are considered the reason behind such practices. It is a kind of social norm that needs to be performed at any cost to be accepted socially and be part of the society otherwise they’ll be considered different from the community or society altogether. The fear of getting rejected is so deep-rooted, that it justifies this heinous act and therefore motivates them to do so.
It is a social belief that FGM makes a girl into a woman and helps in raising a girl and therefore prepares them for their marriage life. It is rehearsed to preserve the virginity of the female so that she doesn’t involve herself in pre-marital sex and affairs and it is pure on the day of her marriage and is like a gift to her husband. Females are considered an object of patriarchy and its ill practices. On the other hand, men are not labelled as such and live freely according to their needs and requirements.
It is also said that in some cases, on the first night of marriage, the husband opens the stitches of the woman and then the sexual intercourse takes place which is such a disgusting thing. And terms like marital rape and so casual and the choice of women are not at all taken into consideration and our neglect.
It is also believed that FGM has some religious support and is pure in its implementation but in reality, this is not at all the case as no religion or its scripts describe or promote such practices.
It is just the discriminatory behaviour of society towards women and ridiculous thinking of the people that leads to such practices and therefore deteriorates the position of women in society.
Major complications women have to face
There are various short and long-term complications that the woman has to face after female genital mutilation.
Experiencing this practice at the age of 6 or 7 is in itself a shock for the little one. The child’s genitals are cut down by the blade and the bleeding shocks her and is a different level of pain. After this is done she has to face problems like swelling of the genitals, excessive bleeding, fever, problems urinating and ng her periods and sometimes or we can say in many cases it can lead to death.
The long-term complications can be problems during sexual intercourse, menstrual problems, increased risk of pregnancy complications and high level of infection spread which could ultimately lead to the death of the female.
And most importantly it impacts the female psychologically and leaves a trauma for the remaining life. They start having trust issues, depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem and change her completely.
This practice is not at all acceptable, is not an approved medical procedure and is completely a violation of the rights of women.
Steps that can be taken to reduce Female genital mutilation
The first and foremost way by which we can reduce it is through spreading information regarding it and educating the females about its ill effects that would impact them severely. There is a need to spread public awareness to bring changes in the mindset and attitudes of the people.
Legal actions need to be taken against the practice of Female genital mutilation so that people are scared of the legal actions that can be taken against them.
But most importantly social changes need to be initiated so that the deep rooted discriminatory beliefs of such societies change and provide better conditions for the survival of women. There is a need for cooperation between the state and the society which alone can help in changing the present situation. The support of community leaders is also required to make the people understand it’s importance and requirement.
Conclusion – Female genital mutilation
The presence of practices like Female genital mutilation is an example of the cruelty that women have to face and the double-faceted society in which we are living. At one time the women of this world are excelling in their particular fields and establishing their position on the world stage and on the other hand they are being treated as sexual objects to please the male community and are facing harassment. They need to face such atrocities and are expected to behave normally that nothing has happened which is not at all possible in such acts but they are conditioned in a way that it is normalized. And they are considered pure and real women I’d they get involved in such activities.
It is such a shame to hear about incidents like these and these topics need our attention and some action needs to be taken towards them. As a human being and the creation of God women too have the right to live like normal human beings and enjoy their right to life, security, and health. There is a dire need for gender parity in this world as women account for 50% of the world’s population. They need to be respected for what they are and for the contributions they make to this society as men do. It has been proved earlier and in Contemporary times women have been great leaders and supporters in every sphere of life be it political, social, cultural and many more. They need to be supported so that they can use their full potential and show wonders and what they are capable of.
