What is female genital mutilation? Commonly known as FGM, female genital mutilation involves the partial or total removal of external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. Many countries and cultures including Djibouti, Egypt, and Mali partake in this practice; for example, 98% of women and girls in Somalia and Guinea have undergone some form of genital mutilation. Female genital mutilation has both physical and mental side effects. This unnecessary and harmful procedure has innumerable immediate complications, including excessive bleeding, swelling, fever, infection, urinary problems, shock, and in extreme cases death.
PHYSICAL CONSEQUENCES
FGM has been classified into four major types, with varying degrees of severity:
- Type 1: Partial or total removal of the external clitoris and clitoris hood.
- Type 2: Partial or total removal of the clitoris and the labia minora, sometimes both labias are removed (minora and majora)
- Type 3: The narrowing of the vaginal opening (also known as infibulation) which involves cutting and repositioning the labia minora/majora. In some cases the two labia are sewn together to create a singular and very small opening solely for urine output.
- Type 4: This includes any type of other harmful procedures, such as pricking, incising or scraping the female genitalia without medical reason.
These types of operations are performed on infants and children up to the age of 15 in order to prevent sexual intercourse or any type of sexual pleasure; however, the surgery can later be reversed to allow sexual intercourse solely for the purpose of conceiving a child. In many cases the procedure is then reperformed after childbirth to ensure continued celibacy.
MENTAL CONSEQUENCES
In simple terms, female genital mutation means removing the possibility of any sort of sexual pleasure; while some types of FGM can physically allow sex, none (unless incorrectly carried out) will permit pleasure since the clitoris is excised in all types. Mental side effects that accompany knowing that one will never be able to properly have a sexual experience can include PTSD, anxiety, depression, and shock which can result in suicide. Women who have undergone FGM have reported feeling incomplete, feeling inferior, suppression and chronic irritability and nightmares. Over 78% of women in Iraq described feelings of intense fear, helplessness, horror, and severe pain, and over 74% were still suffering from intrusive re-experiences of their circumcision. 45.6% of the circumcised girls met the criteria for an anxiety disorder and suspected personality disorder. Some girls have been diagnosed with *somatoform disorder and psychosomatic issues.
RELIGIONS AND CULTURE
No religion promotes or condones FGM, yet more than half of girls and women in four out of 14 countries where data is available saw FGM as a religious requirement. Although FGM is often perceived as being connected to Islam, perhaps because it is practiced among many Muslim groups, not all Islamic groups practice FGM. Additionally, many non-Islamic groups do partake in FGM, including some Christians, Ethiopian Jews, and followers of certain traditional African religions.
There are specific laws against female genital mutilation in many countries in Europe, Africa, the USA, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, but there are still many cultural groups that perform FGM in said regions.
WHY DO SOME CULTURES REQUIRE FGM TO BE PERFORMED?
There are many reasons a cultural group would force a woman to undergo FGM , including (falsely) alleged hygiene benefits, preservation of virginity, marriageability, and enhancement of male sexual pleasure. FGM is often associated with cultural ideals of femininity and modesty which include the notion that girls are clean and beautiful after the removal of body parts that are considered unclean, unfeminine, or male.
WHAT ACTIONS ARE BEING TAKEN TO STOP FGM?
FGM is a clear violation of human rights. It is a form of torture and extreme violence against women and girls. Currently, nothing legal is being done to stop FGM but some ways to take action are:
- Change traditions with the support of older generations
- Educate girls on their right to decide what happens to their bodies. (Many girls consented to the FGM procedure without knowing their rights)
- Speak out about the risks and side effects of FGM
- Spread understanding that religion does not demand FGM
- Continue to publicly push towards the ban of FGM
Finally, please reflect on this anonymous quote from an FGM survivor:
“I cannot talk about the bedroom when all I experience is pain and recurrent infection. My husband knows this. We both agree that our daughter will never be cut.”
Additionally, young male peer educators demonstrate growing understanding:
“We do not need to cut our daughters at all, not even the ‘sunna’. I will marry whoever I marry but she does not need to be cut. If I have daughters, they will not be cut, not at all.”
* A group of psychiatric disorders in which patients present with a myriad of clinically significant but unexplained physical symptoms.
Bibliography:
“7 Ways to End FGM.” Plan International, 15 Dec. 2021, https://plan-international.org/case-studies/7-ways-to-end-fgm/.
Abdalla, Salma M, and Sandro Galea. “Is Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting Associated with Adverse Mental Health Consequences? A Systematic Review of the Evidence.” BMJ Global Health, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 15 July 2019, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6666816/.
“Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) Frequently Asked Questions.” United Nations Population Fund, https://www.unfpa.org/resources/female-genital-mutilation-fgm-frequently-asked-questions#religions.
“Female Genital Mutilation.” World Health Organization, World Health Organization, https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/female-genital-mutilation.
Kizilhan, Jan Ilhan. “Impact of Psychological Disorders after Female Genital Mutilation among Kurdish Girls in Northern Iraq.” The European Journal of Psychiatry, Asociación Universitaria De Zaragoza Para El Progreso De La Psiquiatría y La Salud Mental, https://scielo.isciii.es/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0213-61632011000200004.“What Are the Mental Health Effects of FGM/C?: FGM Toolkit.” GWU, https://fgmtoolkit.gwu.edu/are-you-health-care-provider/what-are-mental-health-effects-fgmc.