...I am sickened by the thought of female genital mutilation. I do not understand how and why it is done to women. I understand that cultures are different and in some, this is okay, but honestly, it makes no sense to me. I was so surprised to read that data was collected regarding female genital mutilation in 29 countries. Is that not a lot? Too many even? There are so many things that could go wrong at the time or even in the future for these young women. Problem with childbirth, infertility, extreme amounts of pain, and many more. The article does mention that many of the countries that have a history of this tradition now favor ending the practice. But just because they favor the idea of ending the tradition, does not mean that it will end....
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...Female Genital Mutilation (also incorrectly known as “female circumcision”) is an extreme cultural practice prevalent in much of North and West Africa as well as in parts of the Middle East and Asia, in which young women and girls are forced to undergo a procedure that alters or rather, mutilates their reproductive organs. Although Female Genital Mutilation, or FGM, is seen in many cultures as a way to promote purity and chastity, this paper will argue that it is in fact a reflection of the “deep-rooted inequality between sexes, and constitutes an extreme form of discrimination against women.” (WHO, 2014) Female Genital Mutilation is defined by any procedure that alters the exterior parts of a female’s reproductive organ. The literature describes four main types of FGM. The first type is called clitoridectomy. In this process surgery involves the full or partial removal of the clitoris. A second type is called excision and this occurs when the clitoris is also fully or partially removed. In addition, the labia minora is removed leaving just the labia majora intact. Infibulation is the most severe form of FGM and occurs when a seal is formed over the opening of the vagina by removing the inner or outer labia. A small hole is left for the passage of menstrual fluid and urine. The hole is...
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...Should Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) be banned? Female genital mutilation or circumcision is referred to as the removal of part, or all of the female genitalia. This involves the cutting of the clitoris (a small sensitive and erectile part of the female genitals) and the two sides of the vulva and the labia majora are fused together by blood clot, leaving small opening to the vagina for passing of urine and menstrual blood. This practice is harmful, purposeless and has many side effects that cause women pain and suffering for the rest of their lives, so I believe that it should be banned for the safety and protection of women. One of the effects of female genital mutilation (FGM) or circumcision is, it leads to risk of life threatening complications. Since the operators do many circumcisions at one time, there is a very large likelihood that girls will contract horrible diseases like HIV and hepatitis because the operators are not well develop, therefore they use the same unsterilized tool on the girls. They may also suffer severe bleeding at the time of the procedure...
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...Self- Mutilation There are a number of different ways to define what self-mutilation entails. It is one of the most commonly used phrases, but researchers and mental health professionals have not been able to agree on one specific definition to explain self-inflicted injury. Hence, self-harm, self-injury and self-mutilation are the common phrases used to refer to this type of behavior ( Zila & Kiselica, 2001). Many people tend to associate self mutilation with suicide, when in fact they are very different. Therefore, when attempting to understand self-mutilation it is important to recognize the distinct differences between self mutilation and suicide. Suicide is an attempt to depart from pain through ending one’s life. While self mutilation is an effort to create relief from a negative affective incident, it differs for each person. It is used as a means for a person to temporarily deal with the pain, rather than abort it all together. In suicidal patients, pain is viewed as everlasting, which makes them feel hopeless. While, on the other hand self-injurers often portray an optimistic attitude (Walsh, 2006). Hence, there is a big difference between the behaviors and intent, which is why it is important to recognize these differences. Self-injurious behavior tends to be separated into two general categories: culturally sanctioned and deviant self mutilation. Culturally sanctioned rituals and practices comprise of ear piercing in the modern U.S culture, sacrament dances amongst...
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...Female Genital Mutilation Female genital mutilation is done to women in countries such as: Africa, the Middle East, and South East Asia. It is a procedure in which the genitals of a young girl or child or removed or circumcised. In countries where this is practiced, society practices it as a tradition and those who do not are not accepted. There are several side effects from going forth with the practice of female genital mutilation. This includes: urine complications, bleeding, scaring, pregnancy complications, aids, mental issues, and even resulting in death. Even with all of the negative effects of Female Genital Mutilation, if given the option of pro-choice, some girls would not feel untraditional, it will not be practiced illegally, and there could be better medical procedures taken into consideration. History of Female Genital Mutilation In America, it is natural for a parent to choose to have their son circumcised. Before, it was not permissible. Unfortunately, in areas like Africa, Middle East, and Southeast Asia, it is unacceptable for a mother or grandmother to have their daughter circumcised, also known as female genital mutilation. The clitoris or other genital parts are cut out with a small blade or a piece of glass, and then it is sewn together. Due to the fact that it is considered inhumane or an act of force. People feel as if the rights of these little girls are being violated, thus for making it illegal in the areas...
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...The Mutilation of History “Who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present controls the past.” (Orwell, 211). History is not necessarily as it appears in history books. People just believe what has been printed in those books without a second thought, but history may have not actually happened that way. George Orwell explores this possibility in his novel 1984, where the main character Winston Smith questions this altered history. In Orwell’s world of 1984, the government changes history to fit their own purposes. This mutability of history is shown through the description of Winston’s job, the newspaper clipping and picture, and the Party’s policies. For a prime example, Winston Smith has a job within the government and his job description is to change history books, newspaper articles, and any other written records to fit the government’s new version of history. Orwell shows the true nature of Winston’s job when he writes, “It was therefore necessary to rewrite a paragraph of Big Brother’s speech in such a way as to make him predict the thing that had actually happened” (Orwell 34). This shows Winston rewriting a previously given speech to make it seem that Big Brother had correctly predicted what happened even though in reality he had been wrong. This is portraying the altering of history in order to fit the Party’s purposes. At one point Winston, who is questioning this alteration of history, finds proof of the history changing. He finds a newspaper...
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...Female genital mutilation, also known as female circumcision, or female genital cutting, has been practiced for several thousand years in almost 30 African and Middle Eastern nations. The World Health Organization estimates between 100 and 132 million women and girls worldwide have been subjected to female genital mutilation and an estimated 2 million are at risk each year. Every day innocent girls go through excruciating pain every day without even knowing why. Some die and others are cursed to live a life full of health complications. Female genital mutilation currently occurs in 28 African countries and is found among some ethnic groups is Yemen, Oman, and the United Emirates, as well as parts of Malaysia and Indonesia. Within practicing African countries, prevalence ranges from 5% to almost 100% of women affected (Female Genital Mutilation). There are also increasingly found in Europe, Australia, Canada, and the USA, primarily among immigrants from these countries. female genital mutilation is illegal in most western countries, and , now, in many African nations, although laws are ignored and it is still practiced, either secretly in private homes or clinics, or by sending unsuspecting girls back to the parent’s home country for a “vacation”, to get circumcised. Female genital mutilation involves the removal of genital tissues from girls and it is performed in different ways, depending on the culture or location where it takes place. When women have their babies, they...
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...Female Genital mutilation also known as “female circumcision” is an invasive surgical procedure, prefermormed in African cultures on females age 7 days to 15 years old. Though there are four different types of surgery, they all require the complete or partial removal of varies parts of the female genital organs. The surgery can consist of pricking or tampering with the clitoris with a forgeign object Female genital mutilation (FGM), also known as female genital cutting and female circumcision, is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as "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."[1] The practice is carried out by some communities who believe it reduces a woman's libido[3] — an official with the top Muslim clerical body of the largest Muslim-majority nation of the world, the Indonesian Ulema Council, said the practice (of FGM) is a religious obligation that should be done to control women’s sexual desires.[4] The WHO has offered four classifications of FGM. The main three are Type I, removal of the clitoral hood, almost invariably accompanied by removal of the clitoris itself (clitoridectomy); Type II, removal of the clitoris and inner labia; and Type III (infibulation), removal of all or part of the inner and outer labia, and usually the clitoris, and the fusion of the wound, leaving a small hole for the passage of urine and menstrual blood—the fused...
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...Female genital mutilation (FGM) WHAT is FGM? Female genital mutilation (FGM) comprises 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. Procedures Female genital mutilation is classified into four major types. 1. Clitoridectomy: partial or total removal of the clitoris (a small, sensitive and erectile part of the female genitals) and, in very rare cases, only the prepuce (the fold of skin surrounding the clitoris). 2. Excision: partial or total removal of the clitoris and the labia minora, with or without excision of the labia majora (the labia are "the lips" that surround the vagina). 3. Infibulation: narrowing of the vaginal opening through the creation of a covering seal. The seal is formed by cutting and repositioning the inner, or outer, labia, with or without removal of the clitoris. 4. Other: all other harmful procedures to the female genitalia for non-medical purposes, e.g. pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterizing the genital area. WHO Who is at risk? Procedures are mostly carried out on young girls sometime between infancy and age 15, and occasionally on adult women. In Africa, about three million girls are at risk for FGM annually. Between 100 to 140 million girls and women worldwide are living with the consequences of FGM. In Africa, about 92 million girls age 10 years and above are estimated to have undergone FGM. WHERE ...
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...Maria Lwantale Stephanie Wilhelm English 112 April 20, 2013 Genital mutilation: Negotiating Human Rights and Culture! I come from a small country called Uganda. We perform certain acts not because we want to, but as culture dictates. I remember being oblivious to genital mutilation, but all this changed during my years in high school because I attended boarding school. As adolescents, we enjoyed talking about our sexuality and bodies. One sunny Saturday evening, as we sat down in our dormitory, one of the girls asked if anyone had under gone genital mutilation just like her. Diana yelled out loud: “It was one of the most embarrassing and painful experiences I have ever gone through.” She said that it is held in a group setting and the act involves cutting off one’s labia minora. I was in total dismay! My family chose to stubbornly ignore certain cultural acts and this is one I am happy to have skipped judging from the information I know right now. The second time I heard of it was during my last year in high school. We had a social studies class that everyone used to enjoy so much because it had some very interesting topics. Interesting and controversial topics just like female genital mutilation. The topic at hand one chilly morning was female genital mutilation. I was prone to being absent minded and being mentally absent from class. Just hearing the three words woke me up. Ms. Kelly Miti described it as the cutting off of a few of a woman’s sexual parts which I found...
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...Female Gentile Mutilation (FGM) Female Gentile Mutilation (FGM) is a practice or tradition that involves partially or completely removing the external genitalia of girls and young women for nonmedical reasons. It is illegal in many countries but first started taking place and is still currently in practice in some African countries as well as within the Middle East. This act affects young girls between infancy and age 15, the procedure is a problem because it offers absolutely no health benefits for girls and women. The earliest record of FGM was made by Strabo, the Greek geographer and history specialist who reported a circumcision on young Egyptian girls in 25BC. Then again, it is trusted that FGM was happening a few centuries before this, and was spread by dominant tribes and civilizations as a result of tribal, ethnic, and cultural allegiances. In some countries, FGM is a rite of passage, which signifies a young lady's move to womanhood and her status to wed. FGM in many communities is believed to reduce a woman's desire to have sex and is also supposed to help her oppose sexual acts. At the point when a vaginal opening is covered, the fear of it opening and the fear of it being discovered is what scares young girls away from committing sexual acts. There is also a belief in some cases that a woman's genitalia is ugly or unclean. Aside from the pain and distress involved in the procedure at the time, there can also be long-term health consequences involving infertility...
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...women’s genital going to stop? Female circumcision also known as female genital mutilation, is an ongoing inhuman act and violation of women’s right happening in the universe but mostly in Africa. Some people are not aware or familiar with this practice but I believe it’s very important to know what it is because it is the removal of female’s genital that is being practiced in most parts of the world. Female genital mutilation consists of three types one of which is type one which is commonly known as the Sunna circumcision where they just remove part of the clitoris. Type two is when they remove the entire clitoris and even going ahead to remove some of the labia minora. Lastly, type three is when they infibulate...
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...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...
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...Female Genital Mutilation also known as FGM or female cutting is the purposeful injury to a female’s external sex organs (Female). Greek documents originating from 183 BC mention “female circumcision” being performed in ancient Egypt (Female). Therefore, many scholars believe that is where early forms of FGM began (Female). FGM is practiced in over 20 countries currently and has even made its way to developed countries like Canada and the United States (Pauls). Female Genital Mutilation cannot be linked to any early religions but is strictly performed as a cultural practice (Pauls). There are a total of four types of FGM, all of which involve removal of the clitoris and vary in different amounts of removal of other internal organs like the prepuce along with the labia moria and mojora (Pauls). It has been estimated that up to 125 million females have been circumcised today; in Africa, an annual amount of three million are at risk of being cut every year (Cloward 381). The systemic downfall of Female Genital Mutilation is a process still in the making. Policy makers and activists everywhere are slowly trying to breakdown the social norms of their countries and the cultural perceptions of what FGM is (Cloward 386). Female Genital Mutilation results in countless physical and mental injuries for women every...
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...ST PAULS UNIVERSITY LIMURU CAMPUS REGULAR PROGRAM FACULTY OF BUSSINES AND COMMUNICATION DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE UCC 102; ACADEMIC WRITING EARLY MARRIAGES IN MAASAI LAND ADM NO; BOBIT/LMR/1575/16 LECTURER; DR. J. NDAVULA DATE; DECEMBER 1,2015 Abstract Reasons for early marriages The main reasons girls are forced to marry early are for the parents to acquire wealth and to be respected in the community (Ondiwo, 2002). Within the Maasai community the male spouses are likely to be a few years older than the girls; some may be more than twice their age, and most of them are wealthy. Parents who make such marital choices look upon marriage as an economic arrangement. Within the Kuria community the tradition is practiced because of interests in acquiring wealth. There are rampant cattle rustling incidences in the area because of poverty. Some parents find it safe to marry off their daughters to compensate for their stolen herd since early marriages are done in exchange for livestock The poverty stricken families also see early marriage as a way to take off their shoulders the responsibility of bringing up girls (Hinshelwood, 2001; Jens, 2003; UNICEF, 2000; UNICEF, 2002). In the event that the parents of the girl child have been given some money or material wealth and the girl has refused to join her husband to be, men from her husband’s side will abduct her. During abduction, the girl will be beaten to make her submissive. If she cries out aloud, her...
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