2 years, 10 months ago-
Female Genital Mutilation (or FGM), defined by WHO as including “procedures that intentionally alter or cause injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons,” is a complex issue with religious and cultural implications for the groups who practice it. That said, the general consensus in the international community is that FGM imposes real health consequences, violates a child’s rights, and promotes inequality between the sexes.
Female Genital Mutilation is basically a practice which consist of cutting of the genital organs of a women and selling it. This also includes harm and pain to the women caused to the female genitals which are for Non-medical purposes.
There are four types of Female Genital mutilation observed and categorized by the WHO. Let me tell you that this prcatise isn’t there in any or does not belong to any region as such, it’s in fact a culture of people who have been practising it for thousands of years. This practise happens globally and out of which 44 counties have banned it. Even though in the countries which it’s banned, this practise take place forcefully without any fear.
According to the WHO every year around 3 million girls are at a risk of going through Female genital mutilation every year. Young girls from just days after birth up until the age of 15 are most commonly cut, however the practice can also have long-term effects that impact women for the rest of their lives. It is also known to be practiced at different stages of a woman’s life, for example at the time of marriage or even after they give birth.
This practise leads to serious health problems to girls such as bleeding, infant mortality, infertility, difficulties in menstruating, higher risk of going through HIV, painful urinating etc.This may also cause short term or long term physiological trauma to a girl or women who went through this.Empathy and trust are two critical elements of the work to end violations of basic human rights that are deeply enmeshed with cultural practice and taboo.Female genital mutilation, also known as FGM, is the intentional cutting or removal of a female’s external genitalia, most commonly the labia and clitoris. The World Health Organization defines it as a non-medical procedure that injures the female genital organs. This inhumane practice has no health benefits and is a violation of human rights.
FGM is a manifestation of deep-seated discrimination between men and women. It is considered a violation of children’s rights because it is performed on girls between the ages of infancy and fifteen. More than 200 million girls and women alive today have been subjected to the practice, and more than 3 million girls are at risk annually.
The practice is concentrated in Africa’s Western, Eastern, and North-Eastern regions. It is also present in some parts of the Middle East and Asia, which is why FGM is a worldwide concern.
FGM is performed for a variety of reasons, including social acceptance, religion, and the preservation of a female’s virginity. It is regarded as a rite of passage into adulthood, to make the woman “marriable.” FGM is linked to cultural ideals of femininity, with the idea that girls are clean and beautiful after having their genitalia removed.
FGM has physical, psychological, and social consequences. Excessive bleeding, infection, wound healing issues, and, in the worst-case scenario, death, are all immediate health risks for girls who have undergone FGM. Long-term complications include urinary and vaginal problems, an increased risk of childbirth, menstrual problems, and so on. It also causes psychological trauma, such as behavioural problems in children, trust issues with adults, anxiety, depression, and so on.
Though it is a cultural practice, it is an inhumane act that violates a person’s basic human rights without their consent.
Female genital Mutilation means cutting down female reproductive organs. This serious issue in many religious sects. It is estimated that 68 million women are in danger of mutilation by 2030. This crime is promoted by religion and cultural norms and still prevailing in our society. In India, this practice is performed by Bohra Muslims and it now illegal but this community people claim its constitution moral under article 25 and grant them freedom of religious practises. This practice is generally performed in developing and under-developing countries especially African countries. Due to the prevalence of illiteracy and have a false image of religion. Generally, this practice is performed just after the birth of a girl child and tries to control her sexual desires after attaining puberty.
It has increased health risk in women as this mutilation is done through a non-medical procedure and it creates
problems like haemorrhage, infection and sometimes it even lead to death. Female genital mutilation leaves fearful scars on women’s life. It is said that a person can forget her physical scars but not mental it is printed forever. This evil crime is done so that women can not take pleasure of physical interaction so only are capable of doing so. Why can’t women while being polluted or become ill-mannered? Low mentality people think that women are made to have only lots of children and they have physical intercourse, not for her pleasure but to make men feel that pleasure.This evil practice has increased gender inequality as it tries to control female sexuality, on every 6 February we celebrate the international day of zero tolerance for female mutilation there are many international conventions for the women who are fighting with violence against them. The United Nation has recognized female genital mutilation as a human-right violation.
Female genital mutilation is the deliberate alteration or removal of external female genitalia. It is practiced in many African countries. In several cases, this mutilation is performed as a rite of passage or otherwise customary event. A lot of times a girl can be cut in one way and a boy in another way. For example, the girl can be cut out completely or partially, while the boy just has a scar from circumcision. Female genital mutilation has no health benefits and is very painful. It can lead to severe bleeding, problems urinating, infections, infertility as well as complications in childbirth, and increased risk of newborn deaths.
The practice of female genital mutilation (FGM), which is also known as female circumcision, refers to all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injuries to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. It is illegal in many countries and considered a violation of human rights by international human rights organizations. FGM is widespread mostly in western, eastern, and north-eastern Africa and to a lesser extent in the southeast and south-central Asia. In Somalia, for example, 98% of women suffer from FGM. It is believed that more than one hundred million women and girls alive today in at least 30 countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia have been subjected to excision (or female circumcision) — the removal of part or all of the external female genitalia.
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is the collective name given to several traditional practices that involve altering or injuring the female genitalia for nontherapeutic reasons. It has been recognized as a human-rights problem and is considered as a form of child abuse that can inflict lasting damage on health. Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a commonly misunderstood and controversial issue. It can be extremely difficult to understand the differences between the types of procedures performed, as there are so many different cultures and religious beliefs that impact this practice.
According to WHO Female genital mutilation involves partial and total removal of female genitalia or another injury to female genital organs for no medical purposes. FGM does not benefit the females it only harms them. It is a very wrong practice, it causes genital swelling, excessive bleeding, urinary problems, females are in shock. Females face severe difficulties while menstruating. We need strict laws and punishments. It is mostly practiced in the Islamic community they call it KHAFD, their religious belief behind removing the clitoral head is unwanted skin and it is Sin for them.it happens with young girls they don’t understand what happens with them without their consent. It is a practice in more than 30 countries. They cut with things like a knife, a blade which can cause severe blood loss, so inhuman thing is carried on in name of religious beliefs.it is a sexual offense. People also do this for trade practice of female organs to earn money or do this for sexually torturing the females.it happens very secretly. According to reports, it happens with more than 200 million girls and women it is practiced all over the world.it has the cultural notion that to make look girls part more feminine and bodily beautiful by removing the unclean part. Some communities also made the celebration for this, of their girls, get some gifts from family members. This inhuman activity needs to stop immediately, no one has the right to take pleasure by giving the pain. Also because of this, some girls face complications in their pregnancy. People should stop treating women like an object and show some empathy towards them.no body can touch females’ private parts without their consent. Females need to immediately report if it happens to them, they do not need to fear anyone. Females need to educate themselves about this wrong practice. Government and social women welfare organizations need to come together to end this.
Imagine being taken to a dark building and being pinned down on the floor and a hot knife slicing your clitoris. Doesn’t it sound painful? Well, it’s a reality faced by countless girls across India. The cruel practice of female genital mutilation is practised among girls aged 6 and 7 in India. Mumbai abounds with untrained midwives who continue to scar young girls from the Bohra community. For a long time, FGM or ‘khatna’ remained a well-kept secret. It was a taboo, a subject never to be discussed.
Young girls are often misguided and taken to be cut without informing them. Women who have gone through this, have generally experienced a sharp, shooting pain. This practice is steeped in patriarchy and it’s believed that a woman’s sexuality has to be curbed and if someone wants fidelity she should be cut. The sad part of this practice is that it’s done on women by other women. A lot of women who still support this practice have called the clitoris an “immoral lump of flesh”. This practice is embedded in the culture. If someone didn’t do it they would face some backlash. Girls who weren’t mutilated were cut off from some ritualistic functions. This practice not only affects girls physically but also mentally. It is unimaginable that at such a young age they have to go through the mental trauma of being cut. Female genital mutilation is recognised internationally as a violation of the human rights of girls and women by UNESCO because of the threat that it constitutes to their health and lives. It’s still not banned in India.
This practice is unscientific and doesn’t fit with the educated community. People should let this go off. It is a great form of deceit and betrayal and a great form of abuse on young impressionable minds and bodies.Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a human rights violation. WHO declares that ‘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’ are to be considered as FGM. There are four types of genital mutilation: clitoridectomy, excision, infibulation and other procedures involving pricking, piercing and cauterising the genitals. In many communities, predominantly in Africa, The Middle East and some parts of Asia, it forms an integral part of dominant culture, as a result of which, social pressure exists in performing FGM.
FGM has serious physical and mental consequences to women, most of which last throughout their lives. UNFPA points out that the psychological stress induced can effect behavioural disturbances in children and cause them to distrust caregivers, in addition to long term anxiety and depression. It also increases the risk of HIV transmission. It is usually performed by traditional practitioners using sharp objects such as knife, razor blade or broken glass. The procedure itself is dangerously executed and often results in death due to excessive bleeding or infections.
It is no doubt that the practice springs from deep rooted gender inequality. Women’s bodies have always been and continue to be a site of oppression. Aristotle, known for his sexist and misogynist views on women, saw the female as a ‘mutilated male’ positing them as deformed figures. Much of misogynist discourse has been framed around women’s bodies, their essential being. FGM is no exception. It is aimed at controlling women’s bodies and sexuality towards the convenience of the male members of a society. The general belief among communities practising the barbaric act is that women’s sexuality would become insatiable without FGM and that the procedure makes them purer. It is also inflicted to ensure a woman’s virginity and fidelity, and is believed to enhance male sexual pleasure. There are also widely held misconceptions that FGM promotes fertility, child survival, hygiene and aesthetic appeal, but these are just myths fabricated to exert female oppression. While most patriarchal practices control the way a woman’s body behaves through cultural narratives, such procedures as FGM go a step ahead in physically incapacitating the female body.
There are many organisations such as Desert Flower Foundation, ActionAid UK, Daughters of Eve and Equality Now who continue their fight against FGM. The pilot version of Mumkin, an AI-driven app that aims to create a safe space for difficult conversations, focused on Female genital mutilation. The app was co-created by Priya Goswami known for her award winning documentary ‘A Pinch of Skin’ (2012) that addressed FGM practice called khatna in India. This is a great initiative, simply for the fact that it encourages conversations on the topic and breaks silence. Most women who undergo FGM are conditioned to believe that it is a normal procedure, and such initiatives help clear such misconceptions. Some countries, such as Sudan, Kenya and Uganda have taken efforts on the bureaucratic level, such as forming laws prohibiting female genital mutilation.
UNICEF points out that the occurrence of FGM has decreased over the past 30 years, with one in 15 to 19 women having undergone the process as opposed to one in two women 3 decade ago. However, there is a new threat to the progress achieved. Education of women has significantly brought down female genital mutilation because it facilitates women to become bread winners. However, UNESCO estimates that nearly 11 million girls will not return to school after the pandemic. Now that education is curbed, families are more likely to perpetrate FGM so that their daughters can be married off in exchange for dowry. That said, the problem can be tackled if governmental bodies dedicatedly enforce strict laws and supervision to curb what is a highly barbaric practice.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO); Female Genital Mutilation which is also known as FGM involves the partial or total removal of external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. It is done on girls from infancy till the age of 15.
FGM is still practiced today because of religious customs. Many think that this is a must in religions so they continue this practice. It is usually done to curb women’s sexual urges. However, it has never been mentioned in any religious texts. They think by practicing FGM, the rates of infidelity will be less. But, that is far from the truth.
The United Nations has declared FGM a human rights violation. There have been many petitions created to ban FGM. But, it’s still occurring today.
It is morally wrong. Who are we to continue this harmful practice? The practice is performed on babies who aren’t even one week old. It leads to many mental health problems in the future. The woman would be psychologically scarred for life.
It results in complications: many women have faced bleeding and infections after this practice. It physically harms the woman and she lives her life in pain, both physically and mentally.
Jaha Dukureh, a human rights activist and an FGM survivor interviewed Gambian women who had gone through this practice. When questioned why this process was still going on, the women replied by saying that women cannot give birth if they’re not circumcised. Which is incorrect. When asked why they did not question FGM, they replied by saying that they were not educated on this topic.
Many people who perform this practice are not equipped to do this. Some of them don’t know basic anatomy and it results in the cutting off of the wrong parts.
Some might say that people know how to do this and that it is not mandatory. But, it shouldn’t be justified. A woman deserves the right to choose what she wants to do with her body and not society.
FGM cannot be reversed and causes life-long pain for the woman. Although it’s easy to blame the women for this, we have to realize they’re the victims themselves. We need to stop this. FGM is a human rights violation and cannot continue.Female genital mutilation involves partially removing the female genitalia or damaging the female genitalia for non-medical reasons. Health-wise it can cause severe complications. Female genital mutilation can cause severe bleeding and problems with urination, cysts, infections, and complications with childbirth. It also increases the risk of death of the newborn. Millions of girls and women have been cut out in several countries such as Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Female genital mutilation is mostly performed on young girls as low as 15 years of age. The practice is based on circumcision, which often plays a central role in communities.
Female genital mutilation is recognized as a violation of the human and constitutional rights of girls and women. It is a reflection of deep-rooted inequality between the sexes. It represents an extreme form of discrimination against women. It is almost always carried out in relation to minors and children. This practice also violates the human rights to safety, health, and physical integrity. The right to be free from torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, and the right to life when the procedure results in death are also violated.
In order to cast out such a blemish activity from our culture, a strong political will is required from our leaders who can stand against the cultural pressure of the society. And this won’t be an easy task. Also to show the disadvantages of this cruel practice, more and more education needs to be penetrated in the mindset of the people of the society. It is just not acceptable that girls have to go through such kinds of horrific practices just to be compliant with socio-religious practices that have no logic or place in the modern world.
We have to make people of our society more empathic and humane to see that such cruel treatment is just not acceptable.
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