Guest Author - Brandi Rhoades
Female genital mutilation, or female circumcision, has been at the core of reports about violence against girls in recent years. FGM is a practice carried out in certain cultures in which the participants believe that a girl’s value to society is diminished if her vaginal area is left intact. Others argue that the practice is inhumane and amounts to torture. Just what are the facts on FGM?
What It Is: FGM is the process of removing portions of a girl’s vagina. The least invasive form involves the removal of an area called the prepuce, and the most extreme form means that a girl loses her clitoris and labia and has her vaginal opening sewn shut.
Why It’s Performed: The people of various cultures believe that FGM is a cleansing ritual. They also may subscribe to the belief that it encourages virginity. In its most extreme, it ensures that a woman remains chaste because the disturbance of the procedure would indicate otherwise. In other cultures, genital mutilation serves as a rite of passage for girls.
When It’s Performed: Genital mutilation may happen when girls are tiny infants in some places, and in other cultures, girls are approaching puberty.
Where It’s Performed: The vast majority of genital mutilations happen in Africa. People in around 30 countries on the continent practice FGM to varying degrees. Some girls in Asia and the Middle East had female circumcisions done.
Health Concerns: When FGM is carried out in a healthcare facility, which is the case in more affluent segments of these societies, it has minimal long-term health risks. In other places, however, FGM leaves girls in an immediate state of shock and can cause lifelong problems with the urinary tract and childbirth. Psychological problems also are connected to this ritual.
Advocacy: Many groups in the East and West are working for an end to FGM. Famed novelist Alice Walker is one of the most outspoken critics of the practice, traveling to Africa and filming a documentary on the practice.
Other prominent groups have been involved in working against FGM. Equality Now has initiatives going in several African nations, including Tanzania. They also are working to permit political asylum in the United States for women fleeing FGM. Amnesty International, a prominent human rights organization, also has an anti-FGM campaign.
These resources provide lengthy discussion of female genital mutilation and advocacy against it.
The World Health Organization - WHO provides statistics about the health implications of this practice.
FGM Network - This organization's purpose is to educate about female circumcision and to advocate against it.
Amnesty International - This human rights group is working toward stopping FGM in all countries in all forms. AI's official statement indicates that they believe FGM to be a form of torturous treatment.
