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Female circumcision

Female circumcision is the ritual removal of all or parts of the female genitalia in the external view. It is scholarly regarded as a female genital mutilation or even female genital cutting. This practice is commonly executed in Africa, Asia, and in the Middle East. According to the Population Reference Bureau (PRB), the issue of FGM has also increased in the United States, which has been coined to have grown due to the large growth of immigrants from Africa and Asia in the United States. The African Women’s Health Center at Brigham also established a concern on the acute rise of the issue of female genital mutilation in the United States and pointed out that more than 227000 women in the United States were at risk of undergoing this practice in 2004 (Thierfelder 86). This practice has been associated with several negative health and social implications, for which reason it should be highly discouraged.

Female genital mutilation is administered in several ways or methods. Amongst the well-known approach is the clitoridectomy which involves partial or even total removal of the clitoris from the female genitalia. The approach is known as excision, which besides removal of the female clit, the inner folders of the vulva is removed from the female. Also, there are infibulations which are mostly practiced through the narrowing of the vaginal opening through the creation of an artificial seal (MacLeod 134). Other practitioners of this procedure engage in piercing, pricking, incising cauterizing and even scrapping of the female genitalia in their attempt to administer this practice.

The issue of FGM has heated debate and has become a controversy in the recent years. When there has been a stiff campaign against this practice, there has also grown a big support for the same in other parts of the world (Rymer 190). Those opposing the practice have definite reasons for it, and those that campaign for it find it beneficial in one way or another. United Nations have been in the forefront in discouraging this practice, and they term it as a vice which should be discouraged with the strongest force possible. In February 2003, the United Nations came up with an awareness day called the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation which is celebrated to date and observed in an attempt to discourage this practice (Newland et al. 25). This movement is purposely aimed at protecting the women rights and their bodies, which is argued to be at high risk paused by the practice of Female Genital Mutilation in the world today.

Although this practice is termed as a vice by several organizations, it has received a massive support and protection from other parts of the world where it is highly practiced. In some African countries like Somalia and Egypt, the practice is said to be a rite of passage, and it is mostly carried out by trained medical practitioners who are believed to reduce the risk of excess bleeding and chances of death that may result from this practice (Momoh 27). This, according to the United Nations, is a campaign that supports a vice that undermines human rights in those particular regions where the practice is supported. In these regions where the practice is medicalized, those who fail to undergo it are perceived as inferiors, cowards and even incomplete and cannot be entrusted to handle some dockets in the society.

The argument comes in when one migrates to those regions where this practice is highly valued and would wish to look for livelihood there. where one relocates to a new region for a living, they must adapt, and uphold to the culture and ways of life practiced there. The Middle East is also a region which is well known to campaign for this practice. In the recent years, the region has undergone a massive economic boom, a move that has attracted many immigrants from Europe, Africa and other parts of the world, in their attempt to invest and earn employment from there (Carl 37). After migration, most immigrants are forced to abide by their practices and undergo the same procedure. They later spread the practice to their origin countries and encourage their close colleagues to embrace the same.

In my opinion, the world economic has been a challenge today, and it is upon every individual to make up for the betterment of their living standard. Every man has been left on themselves, and the political forces that are supposed to campaign against poverty have been taken away by the growing international crisis like terrorism, global warming, and technology influences, leaving a large number of people ailing in poverty worldwide. Unemployment has also been the talk of the day across the world, and everybody is running for the next available opportunity. Just to mention a few, these are some of the reasons why people migrate even to those regions where FGM is a basic practice, and they later spread it to their home country. I would stand to advocate for migration into greener pastures if circumstances would force as well. After all, who would wish to die in hunger at the expense of migrating to a country where they will get a better livelihood even after being subjected to FGM? To some extent, the reasons behind migration and embracement of certain social practices are valid.

I do not mean to advocate for this practice, but if undergoing through it would save a life or two in the long run, then it can be carried out. Although it is ungodly to intimidate one individual at the expense of another, it can be argued that it is equally fair to reduce the number of branches of a tall tree and give room for the minor trees to grow. Besides increasing the chances of acceptability in some communities, FGM is believed to reduce the occurrence of immorality and help women resist illicit sexual acts which are commonly associated with excess sexual desires and high libido among the uncircumcised women. Some arguments have it that FGM increases the spread of HIV and AIDS, which in my opinion could be argued otherwise. With the reduced sexual desires, the chances of being infected with HIV and AIDS, which is mostly associated with unprotected sexual acts, are minimal (Brady et al. 715). It will, therefore, be arguable that women who have undergone FGM are most likely to engage in sexual acts on very rare occasions and especially when they are in need of procreating.

The practice Female Genital Mutilation has been an issue that is of controversial in a religion point of view. It has embraced acceptance in various religions including Christianity, Islamic, and even Judaism. According to the UNICEF report in 2013 by Ellen Gruenbaum, followers of the above three monotheistic religions have at some point practiced female circumcision, and they regard it as acceptable and not prohibited by God (Ellen 95). In contrast, this practice is highly discouraged by scriptures but it has been embraced by various Christians and Muslims as a religious requirement, and this has contributed to its continuation in some settings of life. Other scholars like William Smith and Sami Aldeeb have noted that FGM has acquired a great religious dimension in the recent few years.

Religion is among the strongest social factors that have a great influence on the livelihood of people. Their argument in support of FGM in some countries in Africa like Ethiopia where the majority are Christians has encouraged acute protection of this practice. In other parts of the world, the Middle East to be precise, Muslims have taken the practice as a religious practice and have highly valued it and encouraged many women to undergo it. Those that are up to this challenge is normally perceived to be clean, mature and complete. They are respected extraordinarily and are perceived to be responsible and highly disciplined. They enjoy the benefits of accountability and can be left in charge of various dockets in several organizations in these countries where the practice is highly encouraged.

In many instances, FGM is considered to be a social norm or convention which results from the social pressure to conform to what other people are doing in the society. In reality, human beings are social. They abide by certain norms and practices which must be observed by all members of a specific society. There are various social motivations that perpetuate the practice of FGM in the society today. Among these are the fear of being rejected by other people in the society, need to feel part of the society by doing what others are doing and the urge to conform with what other people have considered being socially acceptable. When it is clear these factors are likely to pushing one into practices that are against their consent; it is also true it is going to help them feel part and parcel of the society in which they live and embrace this practice.

People are compelled into complying with what leaders in the society have advocated being socially acceptable. Be it religious leaders, community leaders, or the power structure of a particular society, the rules or laws they advocate for are in most cases embraced by the entire society. This has been the case in regarding Female Genital Mutilation. In places where the local leadership structure and the community leaders and even religious leaders in support of medical support have embraced this practice, it is clear that the society at large will uphold the practice and accept it as a social requirement. In some cases, the leaders in the society advocate for it as a cultural tradition, and this ensures the progressive continuation of this practice.

When it is true there are various benefits associated with this practice; it is also true it comes with several vices that are not only harmful to the human body, but also to the society. This is the reason as to why many social groups have grown, all in an attempt to discourage this practice. Several deaths have been reported to have resulted from the Female Genital Mutilation. This, in most cases, occurs due to excessive bleeding after the practice and immediate resulting into death. In some parts of the world, the women are subjected to this practice at a very tender age, and they may not be able to stand that acute blood loss. Others undergo the practice with the help of midwives, who are mostly not medically trained and the result is mostly death as a result of this excessive bleeding. The rate at which deaths have been reported resulting from FGM has raised the eyebrow of various human right personalities who have stepped forward into undermining this practice.

Also, Female Genital Mutilation is argued scientifically to result into excess pain and humiliation of the women who are subjected to it. The result is the alteration of the female genital organs which results in severe pain and body injury, for non-medical reasons. This injury is intentional, a fact that remains ambiguous for those who still advocate for the practice. Also, the resultant pain is so severe that, according to research, results to unconsciousness to some women especially those at very tender age. This is a fact that we cannot run away from because it has become a matter of concern, especially to those women who are brought up in the society where this practice is highly valued. In most cases, young girls have been reported missing in their homes or doing themselves serious harm like attempted suicide in their bid to escape circumcision.

According to the world health organization, female genital mutilation is a violation of human rights in women and girls (Toubia 234). The practice is said to encourage discrimination against women, and a deep-rooted and stiff inequality between sexes. The practice also violates the rights of children because it is mostly carried out on minors from infancy to the age of 15 years. As if not enough, this practice violates the person right to security, health, and personal physical integrity. One is denied the right to be free of cruelty, torture, and degrading and inhuman treatments. In some other extreme cases, the procedure results in death, depriving one right to life.

Although those that protect FGM argue that it is of great help to women and girls, it is true that this practice has no health benefits to the woman or a girl subjected to it. Besides severe bleeding, there is a high likelihood of developing problems with urination in women after undergoing this practice. The stitching, scrapping, and pricking of the female genitalia may result to complications like severe itching during urinating. As a result, the situation may result in infections, cysts or even complications during childbirth. Consequently, there is a likelihood of an increase of deaths of newborn infants. Also, the women and girls subjected to FGM are likely to develop genital tissue swelling and wound healing problems that are likely to disrupt their day to day operations.

In many instances, women and girls are normally subjected to this practice totally against their will and self-consciousness. The results are more mental than physical in such instances as they end up developing psychological problems. According to research, many women who are subjected to forced FGM develops low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder, which affects the mind and the body at large (Catania et al. 1673). It is unfortunate that this procedure cannot be reversed one effected, for which reason many girls and women live a life of self-intimidation and lack of self-acceptance simply because they were forcefully subjected to an issue which will remain attached to them for the rest of their lives. The mentalities that women are inferior in some communities and they are never given a chance to air their grievances have highly encouraged this practice in the society today.

Based on the above arguments, it is nearly hard to conclude whether Female Genital Mutilation is a vice or virtue. To some people who value and embrace this practice, it is a virtue. It is a social issue that they value and protect so strongly that it is nearly impossible to change their attitude towards it. To others, the practice is associated with a bunch of ill health issues, and it is always campaigned against. In my opinion, the vices associated with this practice outdo the virtues and it, therefore, calls for a total ban of the same. In this regard, several social conflicts have risen, in which every group justifies their argument in an attempt to prove it right or wrong.

More often than not, there has been an international outcry in the bid to abolish Female Genital Mutilation. In 2008, the World Health Organization Assembly passed a resolution which further advocated for a total ban on this practice. The resolution emphasized on the consulting effort from all sectors starting from education, justice and women affairs, health and finance to campaign and push for the total elimination of Female Genital Mutilation. WHO had their effort focused on strengthening the health sector response to FGM through providing guidelines, training, and policies to ensure the health professionals provide medical care and even counseling to women and girls who are living as victims of FGM (Sayed et al, 287). Also, the World Health Organization has advocated for community awareness of the consequences associated with FGM, how to eliminate it and how they can liberate the mind of those who are already victims of FGM.

In 1995, the United States came up with what they called Federal Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation, which advocated for the protection of the United States people against what they called an abusive form of treatment resulting from Female Genital Mutilation (Toubia 229). In essence, FGM holds strong roots and explanations of its origin in history. However, the practice does not justify the pain and oppression it inflicts on the innocent girls and women. Some traditional practices that were highly practiced in the past such as slavery, human sacrifice, and hanging have been discouraged and are now things of the past. The same line of thoughts should be upheld in the bid to discourage Female Genital Mutilation. In this case, the three main arguments in support of this practice which includes health benefits, religious support, and sexual control have been dispelled. This move has highly discouraged this practice and called for the society at large to campaign against it.

The views of human activists on this issue are better put in consideration because they have helped reduce the incidences of this practice. Their influence cannot go unnoticed because, in today society, the girl child has enjoyed a massive involvement in education and social movements against female genital mutilation. The Congress in the United States has the most influential activists who are fighting against this practice at all cost. Also, they have pushed for the federal law to address this issue and advocate for a total ban of the same. The congressman, Joseph Crowley and the congresswoman, Mary Bono Mack, has been in the fore front to fight against this practice through Girls Protection Act which came into existence in 2010.

To date, the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation has not been declared a public, compulsory day, either in the United States or any part of the world. This case, in my opinion, depicts some reluctance in the fight against this vice be the international forces. Declaring this day of February 6 as an international public day to advocate for the fight against this vice would not only keep the community that practices it on their toes but also raise the eyebrow of those that are forcefully subjected to it. To some extent, this day would create awareness too many communities especially in the middle east and in the African countries. Also, the international movements like the World Health Organization would be in a position to air their concerns in regards to this issue.

Although the practice of FGM was banned as early as in 1996 in the United States, the rate at which the practice has skyrocketed in the recent years is worrying (Macleod 339). Is it because the laws in place are too lose to observe? Or is it that the government has not been in the forefront to discourage this practice. As a matter of fact, there are many loopholes left unattended that totally and openly advocate for this practice. In as much as it is a controversy, it is ironical that this practice is carried out within our neighborhood and perceived as a day to day practice.

It is worrying to think and figure out that there are some women and girls who are undergoing this humiliation and have no rescue even with a rising voice of the activists who are fighting day and night against this practice (Catania 1678). This could be attributed to the lack of concern of the neighborhood well-being in our society today. If we have to fight against this vice, we must practice being our sister’s keeper at all cost. This is a fight which cannot be won by an individual or just one hand. To be precise, everybody should give a hand of contribution towards the fight against this issue.

In conclusion, I believe this practice can better be curtailed through promoting the education of a girl child in the society and enlighten women on this issue. The reasons in support of FGM are vague, and the fight against it can best be advocated through women education in the United States and the whole world at large. In reality, the higher the level of awareness and women education, the higher the chances of controlling this practice.

Works cited

Momoh, C. (2005). Female genital mutilation. Radcliffe publishing.

Toubia, Nahid. “Female genital mutilation.” Women’s Rights, Human Rights: International Feminist Perspectives (1995): 224-37.

Rymer, Janice. “Female genital mutilation.” Current Obstetrics & Gynaecology 13.3 (2003): 185-190.

MacLeod, Tara Lee. “Female genital mutilation.” Journal SOGC 17.4 (1995): 333-342.

Thierfelder, Clara, Marcel Tanner, and Claudia M. Kessler Bodiang. “Female genital mutilation in the context of migration: theexperience of African women with the Swiss health care system.” The European Journal of Public Health15.1 (2005): 86-90.

Newland, Lynda. “Female circumcision: Muslim identities and zero tolerance policies in rural West Java.” Women’s Studies International Forum. Vol. 29. No. 4. Pergamon, 2006.

Brady, Margaret. “Female genital mutilation: complications and risk of HIV transmission.” AIDS patient care and STDs 13.12 (1999): 709-716.

Gruenbaum, Ellen. The female circumcision controversy: an anthropological perspective. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2001.

World Health Organization. “Female genital mutilation: Information kit.” (1999).

Sayed, G. H., MA Abd El-Aty, and K. A. Fadel. “The practice of female genital mutilation in upper Egypt.” International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics 55.3 (1996): 285-291.

Catania, Lucrezia, et al. “Pleasure and orgasm in women with female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C).” The journal of sexual medicine 4.6 (2007): 1666-1678.

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