I was under this delusion that at the onset of 21st Century the condition of women are quite progressive and that we have left behind the barbaric past which subdued women forcing them to follow rituals without any logical explanation, but to my horror I recently discovered the existence of female circumcision widely practised in some parts of the world even today and as per the report of 'WHO', "an estimated 100 to 140 million girls and women worldwide are currently living with the consequences of FGM" (Female Genital Mutilation) carried out on cultural and religious reasons.
I knew about circumcision performed on men where through surgical help the foreskin of a man's sexual organ is removed to stimulate the pleasure of copulation, but that something like 'female circumcision' exists was rankly unknown to me until I read through some books by Jean Sasson based on the lives of Arab women. In few sections of the world, still this barbarization is inflicted on young girls,who have just reached puberty, in the name of religion and tradition. God knows when these people will be enlightened enough to stop exercising such inhuman act on their women. This torturous act entails no medical benefits except an excruciating pain experienced by the victims of this rite. While surfing through the WHO website I came across an information, which also has been reiterated in the book "Daughters of Arabia" by Jean Sasson, regarding FGM.
The procedures to execute circumcision are extremely painful and they are done by mainly non-medical staff, quacks or even barbars with the help of equipments like scissors, needles, knife etc. A special ceremony is organized to celebrate the occasion when varieties of delicacies are prepared to feast upon and then the girl to be circumcised is taken into a room where other women hold her down while the person appointed to carry out the task sets into work The procedures involved with FGM are of four 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.
The immediate hazard of Female Circumcision involves "severe pain, shock, haemorrhage (bleeding), tetanus or sepsis (bacterial infection), urine retention, open sores in the genital region and injury to nearby genital tissue." as reported by WHO.
Permanent or long-term effect incurred by FGM includes:
I knew about circumcision performed on men where through surgical help the foreskin of a man's sexual organ is removed to stimulate the pleasure of copulation, but that something like 'female circumcision' exists was rankly unknown to me until I read through some books by Jean Sasson based on the lives of Arab women. In few sections of the world, still this barbarization is inflicted on young girls,who have just reached puberty, in the name of religion and tradition. God knows when these people will be enlightened enough to stop exercising such inhuman act on their women. This torturous act entails no medical benefits except an excruciating pain experienced by the victims of this rite. While surfing through the WHO website I came across an information, which also has been reiterated in the book "Daughters of Arabia" by Jean Sasson, regarding FGM.
The procedures to execute circumcision are extremely painful and they are done by mainly non-medical staff, quacks or even barbars with the help of equipments like scissors, needles, knife etc. A special ceremony is organized to celebrate the occasion when varieties of delicacies are prepared to feast upon and then the girl to be circumcised is taken into a room where other women hold her down while the person appointed to carry out the task sets into work The procedures involved with FGM are of four types:
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. " (credited to http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs241/en/)
The immediate hazard of Female Circumcision involves "severe pain, shock, haemorrhage (bleeding), tetanus or sepsis (bacterial infection), urine retention, open sores in the genital region and injury to nearby genital tissue." as reported by WHO.
Permanent or long-term effect incurred by FGM includes:
- "recurrent bladder and urinary tract infections;
- cysts;
- infertility;
- an increased risk of childbirth complications and newborn deaths;
- the need for later surgeries. For example, the FGM procedure that seals or narrows a vaginal opening (type 3 above) needs to be cut open later to allow for sexual intercourse and childbirth. Sometimes it is stitched again several times, including after childbirth, hence the woman goes through repeated opening and closing procedures, further increasing and repeated both immediate and long-term risks." (credited by http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs241/en/)
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