Female genital mutilation (FGM), or female circumcision is an operation to remove a clitoris, "seal" the vagina or other interventions aimed at limiting the sexual activity of a woman.
This barbaric procedure, often performed in unsanitary conditions with primitive tools and without anesthesia, causes irreparable physical and psychological harm, and sometimes ends in death.
"Since female circumcision is not practiced in the West, we can bias the pros and cons of this method. We have small girls protected from genital mutation by law. Unfortunately, this protection does not apply to boys, "says expert Sarah Robinson.
Professor Brian Morris (Brian Morris) rejected this argument by saying in an interview with Medical News Today: "The so-called female circumcision is harmful, and anatomically this is not the equivalent of the male procedure. If this were so, the entire penis would be cut off. Female circumcision has no medical advantages, only harm. Trying to equalize these two things is one of the cunning tactics of opponents ".
Both doctors and public organizations seek to separate female circumcision from male circumcision, which today remains a popular practice in many countries, including the United States, thanks to some medical advantages.
On the other hand, FGM has never been associated with the health benefits of a circumcised woman. This procedure in certain cultures is carried out only because of traditions - especially in rural areas of East Africa (Somalia, Eritrea).
The opinions "for" and "against" in the discussion of this procedure are born from ambiguous and conflicting ideas about social values ??and the role of the sexes. Attempts by the West to influence this practice are very cautious, because any reforms encounter the fierce resistance of conservative bearers of traditions.
Why is female circumcision today under close scrutiny?.
Recently, the practice of female mutation has become a problem not only because of the dangers to women's health, but also because of discussions about human rights violations.
The top five countries for the prevalence of female circumcision:.
Somalia - 98% of girls.
Guinea - 96%.
Djibouti - 93%.
Egypt - 91%.
Eritrea - 89%.
Today, FGM is a hot topic in the UK, whose government launched the first program to stop such practices in the Kingdom. Thanks to the media, the government managed to attract public attention to the problem. People began to see that this is a common misfortune in their country, and not an exotic rite, preserved in isolated corners of the planet.
For example, 140 million women around the world live with the effects of mutation, and approximately 66,000 are in the UK. Sources say that in 2009, approximately 4,000 women and girls were hospitalized in London hospitals with consequences of FGM - nightmarish figures for the civilized western capital.
In March this year, the Attorney General of Great Britain announced the commencement of the first prosecution under the Women's Genital Mutilation Act, which was in force since 1985.
American media report that the British debate about mutation is particularly difficult due to the migration policy of the Kingdom and the immense number of immigrants from Africa and the Middle East who seek to adhere to their traditions on European soil.
Nevertheless, on April 18, 2014, the US Public Affairs Office announced the GBV Initiative,. The press release says: "Under the leadership of President Barack Obama, the United States has introduced gender equality and the advancement of women into the foundations of its foreign policy".
The GBV Initiative should oppose the practice of female circumcision, as well as forced marriages, honor killings, newborn killings, sexual abuse of children, pimping and other forms of gender-based violence.
Although this policy has not yet been clearly outlined, and even in the United States, the practice of female mutilation has not been eradicated completely, a list of priority countries has already been identified that should soon receive assistance to combat FGM. Basically, these are the countries of Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and Latin America.
Is it possible to prohibit female mutilation by law?.
There has been some progress in reforming countries with centuries-old traditions of FGM. But the forthcoming report of World Vision, the world's largest children's charitable organization, is not encouraging by how local communities perceive such reforms.
In Kenya and Ethiopia, for example, female mutilation is now outlawed. But instead of reducing the frequency of FGM, these measures, according to World Vision, will simply drive the barbarous traditions underground. Consequences - the execution of circumcision by unskilled "specialists" with an increased risk to health.
Obstetrical risks FGM:.
• In infibulated women, the risk of postpartum haemorrhage increases by 70%.
• Infibulated women are 30% more likely to have cesarean delivery than women without FGM.
• Mortality among children born from infibulated women is 55% higher.
Information campaigns about the risks of mutation were partly successful in Somalia. At least, local communities have moved away from the wildest practice of infibulation, in which the clitoris is removed, and the vagina is "sealed" in such a way that sexual intercourse is impossible. It is opened only before the wedding in order to fulfill the childbearing function. Despite all the efforts, in these parts continue to practice a clitorectomy - removal of the clitoris.
Over the centuries, these crippling operations have been used as one of the main tools for maintaining the "purity" of girls. Girls who have not undergone a cruel procedure, look in the eyes of the tribe as more accessible to sexual pleasures, and therefore less suitable for marriage. They are often subjected to violence and expelled from the community.
In the 2010 report, UNICEF explained that female mutilation is not seen as violence against children in communities that practice FGM. On the contrary, parents there look at this rite as a way to "protect their daughters and give them the best chance to acquire in the future a worthy social status and economic security".
Female circumcision violates women's right to health, safety and physical integrity.
In the same UNICEF report, the organization clearly articulates that female genital mutilation violates women's fundamental rights to health, safety and physical integrity, their right to be protected from torture and the right to life, since the procedure can be fatal.
Although it should not be seen as violent, the report recalls that the FGM "is discriminatory and puts girls and women in a low position in the family and society". This causes unique problems in the upbringing of the community, therefore alternative rituals are proposed that could replace such harmful practices.
UNICEF stresses that this process should start not with individuals, but with the whole community. It is necessary to spread the changes through education, while a fairly large proportion of people will not be ready to give up the practice of FGM.
For this plan to be successful, they argue, community members should be rewarded for not abusing their children. And it is very important that the community believes in such changes.
Building a dialogue in society on FGM, sexual health and the role of the sexes.
In the Ethiopian region, an organization formed by a pair of local sisters who suffered circumcision - KGM-Ethiopia - applied a new and, I must say, successful approach.
In 1997, when KGM began working in its neighborhood, the fear of AIDS shackled the whole country. Local community leaders wanted to know how to curb the spread of an invisible threat in the region.
KGM organized a "public dialogue", where from each village was selected one man and one woman who studied at KGM and headed the weekly debates of community representatives. Here, the topics of sexual health, authority in relationships, gender rights, as well as female circumcision and related threats were discussed.
KGM also invested in community development. They built bridges, supplied health posts, planted trees and built educational institutions. By 2004, the marriage of uncircumcised girls in this region turned into big festivals in which the number of participants reached hundreds and thousands of people.
Over a period of 9 years, public support has led to the fact that in the Kembato-Tembaro region, with which KGM started work, the frequency of female mutation decreased by 97%, that is, the wild rite almost disappeared.
The organization World Vision reported on some success of similar tactics in other communities. For example, it was possible to persuade to refuse the rite in exchange for donating several goats to the family, which here give an alternative opportunity to make a living.
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