HARMFUL
CULTURAL PRACTICES: Female Genital Mutilation
INTRODUCTION
Culture which generally represents the totality of
the way of life of people has been found to be an important part of the human
race. Cultural practices due to their affluences on the development, growth and
even the existence of its subjects, a need to constantly examine and where
necessary review the contents of cultural practices arises. These practices have been beneficial in
defining the characters and behaviors of individuals. As time goes on, it has
been discovered that some of these cultural practices do more harm than good.
Harmful cultural practices such as female genital
mutilation (FGM), scarring, forced marriage, coming of age rituals, lip plating
and wife inheritance are discriminatory practices committed regularly over such
long period of time that society begin consider them acceptable.
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| Tribal Mark (Scarring) |
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| Neck Rings |
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| Lip Plating |
THE MEANING OF FEMALE
GENITAL MUTILATION (FGM)
Female genital mutilation (FGM) which also refers to
as female circumcision involves the partial or complete removal of the female
external genitalia for non-medical reasons. It is internationally recognized as
a violation of human rights. This practice has no health benefits for the girls
and women and can cause severe bleeding, urinary infections and as well as
complications during childbirth.
TYPES OF FEMALE GENITAL
MUTILATION (FGM)
Type 1: This is the partial or total removal of
the clitoral glans (the external and visible part of the clitoris, which is a
sensitive part of the female genitals), and/or the prepuce/clitoral hood (the
fold of skin surrounding the clitoral glans).
Type 2: This is the partial or total removal of
the clitoral glans and the labia minora (the inner folds of the vulva), with or
without removal of the labia majora (the outer folds of skin of the vulva).
Type 3: Also known as infibulation, this
is the narrowing of the vaginal opening through the creation of a covering
seal. The seal is formed by cutting and repositioning the labia minora, or
labia majora, sometimes through stitching, with or without removal of the
clitoral prepuce/clitoral hood and glans.
THE IMPLICATION OF FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION
FGM involves the removing and damaging healthy and
normal female genital tissue, which in turn interferes with the natural
functions of the female body. The FGM is associated with increased risk of
health complications, the risk is high with more severe forms of FGM.
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| Levels of FGM |
Immediate complications of FGM can
include:
·
severe pain
·
excessive bleeding (haemorrhage)
·
genital tissue swelling
·
fever
·
infections e.g., tetanus
·
urinary problems
·
wound healing problems
·
injury to surrounding genital tissue
·
shock
·
death.
Long-term complications can include:
·
urinary problems (painful urination,
urinary tract infections);
·
vaginal problems (discharge, itching,
bacterial vaginosis and other infections);
·
menstrual problems (painful
menstruations, difficulty in passing menstrual blood, etc.);
·
scar tissue and keloid
·
Lack of sexual desires
·
Childbirth complications
· psychological problems (depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, low self-esteem, etc.).
REASONS FOR PERFORMING
FGM
The reasons why FGM is performed vary from one
region to another as well as over time and include a mix of sociocultural
factors within families and communities.
Where FGM is a social norm, the social pressure to
conform to what others do and have been doing, as well as the need to be
accepted socially and the fear of being rejected by the community, are strong
motivations to perpetuate the practice.
FGM is often considered a necessary part of raising
a girl, and a way to prepare her for adulthood and marriage. This can include
controlling her sexuality to promote premarital virginity and marital fidelity.
Some people believe that the practice has religious support, although no religious scripts prescribe the practice. Religious leaders take varying positions with regard to FGM, with some contributing to its abandonment.
WHY IS FGM STILL
PRACTICED?
Numerous factors contribute to the persistence of
the practice. Yet in every society in which it occurs, FGM is an expression of
deeply rooted gender inequality.
Some societies see it as a rite of passage. Others
use it to suppress a girl’s sexuality or ensure her chastity. FGM is not
endorsed by Islam or Christianity, but religious texts are commonly deployed to
justify it.
Where FGM is most prevalent, communities may deem it
a prerequisite for marriage or inheritance. This makes it difficult for parents
to abandon the practice. Families who don’t participate face ostracism, their
daughters at risk of becoming ineligible for marriage
HOW COMMON IS FGM?
FGM is mostly carried out on young girls between
infancy and adolescence, and occasionally on adult women. According to
available data from 30 countries where FGM is practiced in the western,
eastern, and north-eastern regions of Africa, and some countries in the Middle
East and Asia, more than 200 million girls and women alive today have been
subjected to the practice with more than 3 million girls estimated to be at
risk of FGM annually. FGM is therefore of global concern.
CONSEQUENCES OF FGM
Sexual problems like pain during sex, low sexual
desire, and sexual arousal disorder which often predispose women to explore
sexual enhancing drugs to keep their sexual life active in their marriage
increased risk of childbirth complications
(difficult delivery, excessive bleeding, caesarean section, need to resuscitate
the baby, etc.) and newborn deaths;
need for later surgeries: for example, the sealing
or narrowing of the vaginal opening (type 3) may lead to the practice of
cutting open the sealed vagina later to allow for sexual intercourse and
childbirth (deinfibulation). Sometimes genital tissue is stitched again several
times, including after childbirth, hence the woman goes through repeated
opening and closing procedures, further increasing both immediate and long-term
risks; and
