Africa: Female Genital Mutilation
GEO102B: Final Project
May 20, 2013

Female circumcision seems to be the hottest trend in the United States right now. Females are having the hood of their clitorises removed to gain greater sexual pleasure and sensation. Another type of female circumcision done in the United States, which is considered cosmetic, is having the labia reshaped and evened up. According to Sandra Bell, there are unsubstantiated reports that some women in the United States are in communities where an extreme form of female circumcision is the ritual sacrifice of the entire external clitoris (Bell, 2012). In Africa an estimated 114 million women and girls have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM), that consists of partial or total removal of the external female genitalia (WHO, 2012). In Africa those procedures are not done for pleasurable or cosmetic reasons. FGM is internationally recognized as a violation of the human rights of girls and women in Africa. Before we label female circumcision a trend, we need to be informed of what FGM is considered in other countries, why it’s done, and what is being done to eliminate this practice. FGM is mostly practiced in the western, eastern, and north-eastern regions of Africa. It was a part of the tribal coming of age and remains, a cultural, not a religious practice. It is highly controversial and condemned by most religious organizations. FGM is practiced in many forms. Listed by increasing severity, Type I is Sunna mutilation, in which the clitoral covering is removed along with all or part of the clitoris. This procedure is commonly done in West Africa countries, where it is called “Sunna Kashfa” the open Sunna. In the United States this procedure is called a clitoridectomy. Type II is Excision, where the entire clitoris and prepuce are removed, along with all or part of the labia minora. In Sudan this is called “Sunna Magatia, which means Closed Sunna. Type III is the worst of all the procedures, which is called Infibulation. This involves the removal of the clitoris and prepuce, followed by sewing up the vulva leaving only a small hole for urination and menstruation. Razor blades, knives or scissors are usually the instruments that are used. In some cultures, the woman is cut open by her husband on their wedding night with a double edged dagger. This is commonly practiced in Egypt, Ethopia, and Somalia. According to B. A. Robinson, 140 million girls and women worldwide are currently living with the consequences of FGM (Robinson, 1998). Since FGM is done when the girls are young, they are unable to give their consent which is recognized as a violation of the human rights of females as it reflects inequality between the sexes, and constitutes an extreme form of discrimination against women. FGM also violates the civil rights of freedom of rights to health, security, physical integrity, and the right to be free from torture and cruel and unusual punishment. In some areas of Africa, FGM is delayed until two months before a woman gives birth. This practice is based on the belief that the baby will die if they come in contact with the mother’s clitoris during birth. FGM is often considered as a necessary part of raising a girl properly, and preparing her for adulthood and marriage. It is often motivated by beliefs about what is considered proper sexual behavior and in many communities believed to reduce a woman’s libido and therefore believed to help her resist “illicit” sexual acts. FGM is associated with cultural ideals of femininity and modesty, which include the notion that girls are “clean” and “beautiful” after the removal of body parts that are considered “male” or “unclean”. Amongst individuals and groups opposed to female mutilation, it is seen as a method of reducing the sexual response of women in order to make them less likely to become sexually active before marriage. Action is beginning to be taken at all levels over the last decade to eliminate FGM. According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), an increasing number of men and women from groups who practice FGM have declared support for discontinuing the practice, and in some practicing areas, the number of FGM has decreased (UNICEF, n.d.). Bringing an end to FGM requires a long term commitment. The decision must be widespread within the practicing communities in order to be sustained. As FGM is a manifestation of gender inequality, a special focus on women’s empowerment is important. In the World Health Organization publication, it indicates that concerted action from community groups and nongovernmental organizations is needed from local to global sectors to eliminate FGM (WHO, 2008). February 6 is set aside as “International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation.” Educational activities must reach all groups within the community with the same basic information in order to avoid misunderstandings. Communities must have the opportunity to discuss and reflect on new knowledge in public. A public dialogue would provide the opportunity to increase the awareness and understanding of the community as a whole on women’s human rights and on national and international legal instruments on FGM. In conclusion, progress has been achieved on a number of fronts: female genital mutilation is internationally recognized as a violation of human rights; a global goal to end the practice has been set by the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Children (UN General Assembly, 2002). Policies and legislation to discontinue FGM have been put in place in many countries, but most importantly there are processes of social change leading to abandonment of the practice in a number of countries. After researching FGM in Africa, I have more knowledge about the practice itself and why it is performed, and why it needs to be stopped. I do not understand how my fellow Americans could consider having parts of their genitals removed for sexual pleasure, when there are young girls and women in other countries that have no choice in this practice. That is why we have to be very careful of some of the trends that we follow, because there is always some history of origination be it good or bad.
References

Bell, Sandra. (2012). Female circumcision in the United States. Retrieved from http://voices.yahoo.com/shared/print.shtml?content_type=article&content_type_id=45562.
Robinson, B. A. (1998, March 13). Female genital mutilation in Africa, the Middle East & Far East. Retrieved from http://www.religioustolerance.org/fem_cirm1.htm.
UN General Assembly (2002). Resolution adopted by the General Assembly, 11 October 2002. New York, United Nations.
UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, p. 31. (n.d.). Changing a harmful social convention: Female genital mutilation/cutting. Retrieved from http://www.unicef-irc.org.
World Health Organization. (2012, February). Female genital mutilation. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs241/en/.
World Health Organization. (2008). Eliminating female genital mutilation an interagency Statement. Retrieved from whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2008/9789241596442-eng.pdf.