Female Genital Mutilation Research Paper

Superior Essays
Female Genital Mutilation or also known Female Circumcision began in order to control a women’s sexuality. In certain societies, family marry their daughters off at a young age in order to escape poverty. Many young girls are pulled out of school to be a full-time wife and mother to children at a very young age. The practice was performed around the world usually by older men and women on young girls and women under the age of 15 or before they get their first period. The main purpose of this practice is to protect a young girls’ virginity to make her a desirable bride. The inhumane practice of Female Genital Mutilation only endangers women’s physical health, children’s physical health, and psychological health. Women, young and …show more content…
In the article, it describes and points out various genital abnormalities and mutilation. The article states, “Genital mutilation, or female circumcision, involves the removal of external genitalia in women and may include partial or complete elimination of the clitoris, the labia minora, and/or partially stitching the labia majora together” (BARVE, C., and GERI R. DONENBERG). Not only is this an extremely painful procedure, but also inflicts various medical problems like infection, abnormally long and painful periods, diseases, inability to have sex, fistulas, and death. In an article in The International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics reports intensive research on Female Genital Mutilation and the various health hazards it causes. The article reviews fistulas, which are tiny openings connecting the urethra and the vagina, allowing urine to enter the vagina. Fistulas impose a serious problem because the usual flow …show more content…
Girls and young women suffer through the various health conditions and risks when they are forced to undergo Female Genital Mutilation. They have internal and external wounds that might require surgery or access to certain medicine that some countries do not have access to. And if they develop a fistula, they are excluded and looked down upon by others in their community, causing them to have a lower self-esteem. FGM puts the lives of the women and all their future children at risk of death and various illnesses. Roughly around 30% of the Gambia’s neonatal deaths are from FGMs performed on the mothers. Not only does FGM affect the woman’s physical health, but also their mental health. The women suffer from anxiety, depression, self-esteem issues and trust issues that take a long time to recover from. And after the experience of their FGM, they no longer can some of the joys life has to offer. Female Genital Mutilation is an inhuman and gruesome practice that violates the human rights of

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Saitorti writes, “you must not have sexual intercourse with any circumcised woman before you your- self are circumcised….If you have not waited, you will be fined. Your father, mother, and the circumciser will take a cow from you as punishment.” Sexual intercourse is a sacred act and if you choose to have it before your ready, you could be faced with many problems. Its important to be mature enough to have sex and take responsibilities for what might happen after having sex. In a very similar way Naomi Wolf writes, “If you have sex without using protection you are doing something antisocial and morally objectionable. If you, boy or girl, initiate a pregnancy out of carelessness, that is dumb, regrettable behavior.” Having sex at a young age is very risky, Sure sex is pleasurable but its not worth putting your life in jeopardy for a selfish decision you will one day regret. Theres all kinds of consequences that can occur from having sexual intercourse, and if your young and irresponsible your life could be ruined. Sexual responsibility is over looked at times but as proven is very important in shaping someones…

    • 681 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Female circumcision (also known as female genital mutilation) is a brutal act of altering a females reproductive organs. This practice is most common in Europe, Africa, and Asia. It is performed for cultural reasons and has no health benefits. The people who perform these procedures are the same people who help with child birth and other things like that. This procedure has been banned in the UK and has taken steps to prevent it from happening in other countries (what is female genital mutilation).…

    • 597 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Native American Women

    • 1963 Words
    • 8 Pages

    While the bodies of both Indian men and women have been marked by sexual violence, Native women have been particularly targeted for abuse because of their capacity to give birth. Her child bearing ability makes her a target to be singled out to inhibit the production of the next generation. And in this genocide the nation is destroyed. Andrew Jackson ordered the troops to systematically kill Indian women and children after massacres in order to complete extermination. This practice of controlling Native women’s ability to reproduce continues in new forms. As late as the 1970’s Native women were being sterilized without informed consent. Twenty-five percent of all Native women of childbearing age had been sterilized without their informed consent, with sterilization rates as high as eighty percent on some reservations. Informed consents have curbed this practice, however it was replaced with dangerous contraceptives. Depo-Provera has been proven to be cancerous, and it was used on Indian women prior to FDA approval. There cover-up excuse was it was given to Indian women with disabilities to control their menstrual cycle for the purpose of hygienic. It was also said that it helped with their emotions, and the sterilization was just a side benefit. On the other hand there was a problem with giving it to young attractive girls who one day would…

    • 1963 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Great Essays

    Kissindja Relativism

    • 1698 Words
    • 7 Pages

    He states, “arguments claiming particular conception and implementation is, for cultural or historical reasons, deeply imbedded in within or of unusually great significance to some significant group in society deserve, on their face, sympathetic consideration” (Donnelly, 2007, p. 301). Female genital mutilation for many tribal groups in Africa is considered to have great significance. Many generations have practiced this tradition and there is strong belief on why females should go through female genital mutilation. Female genital mutilation is seen as keeping the women pure for her husband. She is also less likely to have sexual urges so that they are pure for their husbands. Female genital mutilation is a deviation from international human rights and it should be permitted according to…

    • 1698 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The article, “Hands Off Clitoridectomy” by Yael Tamir, discusses the controversial topic of clitoridectomy, and all the arguments within the subject while opening up a new way of perceiving it by comparing it to our own society and practices. She suggest that indeed the practice of clioridectomy is a gruesome and gutwrenching, but there is more to the subject than just the moral issues of it. She address the political and social aspects of performing and living with the procedure and addresses them with passive but firm arguments. Her main point of the article is that our society needs to stop judging and creating prejudices aimed at other cultures or societies when in fact we could be bettering our own society rather than critiquing others.…

    • 719 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Female genital mutilation is seen as a violation of human rights by the United Nations. It is defined as the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical purposes. Between 100 and 140 million women in the world have already been exposed to this, and it is a practice that is increasing in…

    • 357 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Female Genital Mutilation, also known as Female Circumcision, happens to be one of the least topics talked about in the United States of America but extremely popular in other countries. Female Genital Mutilation is cruel and unlawful to some but to others it’s the best thing ever. Female Genital Mutilation is an invasive and painful surgical procedure that is often performed without anesthetic on girls before puberty. Various sources estimate that about 60 to 140 million women in the world have been circumcised. Female Genital Mutilation is practiced on young girls and women of all age. Various sources estimate that about 60 to 140 million women in the world have been circumcised. An average of about four girls in a minute continues to be…

    • 866 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Female Genital Cutting, FGC, is the practice of partially or completely removing the external female genitalia. FGC is also commonly referred to as Female Circumcision, Female Genital Mutilation, and Forced Female Circumcision. It is estimated that more than 200 hundred million women are recipients of this tradition (WHO). The external female genitals include the labia majora, labia minora, clitoris, vaginal opening, and the urethra (Marshall). FGC is performed for “health” reasons, cosmetic preferences, and cultural beliefs predominantly. FGC should be more widely accepted as an unethical procedure or practice due to physical and psychological damages and complications despite some cultures…

    • 1447 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Roles Of Women In Africa

    • 1037 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Only one country in Africa, Burkina Faso, has passed laws against female genital mutilations, and actively upholds those laws. In thirteen other countries, people who promote or practice genital mutilation can receive jail time, but the laws are often ignored. In addition, twenty-eight other countries still condone the practice. It is estimated that at least 130 million African women have already undergone this practice, and two million more young women every year are circumcised. The practice is inhumane, and can cause severe illness and even death in young women when it is not done under the proper conditions. Although religion bears major responsibility for the inferior status of women, it cannot be solely blamed for the gender problem in the Middle East. In reality, the role of culture has been even more prominent in perpetuating the oppression of women. Female genital mutilation is a cultural practice that has afflicted women in several cultures at different times in history. The practice, which in Islam garners dubious permission in an alleged Hadith of the Prophet, is largely unknown in most Muslim countries, though it is still practiced in rural areas of both Muslim and non-Muslim parts of Africa. Similarly, the so-called “honor crimes” have no basis in Islam. Furthermore, though veiling has become a symbol of Middle Eastern oppression of women, the…

    • 1037 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Female Genital Mutilation is a controversial traditional practice that has harmed, and continues to harm, many girls and women. It “is defined as any procedure ‘involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia without medical reasons.” (Andersson, Rymer, Joyce, Momoh, & Gayle, 2012, p. 1606) To begin this essay, I will discuss where this is happening and the different types of FGM. Second, I plan to focus on why this practice still exists, and the harmful effects. Next, I will look at the rights it violates followed by organizations already in place attempting to stop female genital mutilation and cutting. Finally, I will offer doable solutions and recommendations on what we can do to make a positive change.…

    • 2489 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    When I learned about female mutilation, my initial thought was of disgust as to how uncivilized the people of Mali were. The human species have evolved so much that I assumed that this country was the only place on the earth genital mutilation is a cultural and religious practice that is prevalent in the African continent and other countries across the globe. It is needless to say that this was an eye opening moment for me. I became so ashamed by how little I knew what goes on in the world around me, especially considering that I had the information at my fingertips. I have since then vowed to educate myself on global…

    • 810 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    She speaks specifically about the struggles for girls growing up in traditional Islamic households, primarily in the Middle East. Many grow up without a full education, being confined to the home as soon as they begin menstruating. Girls are kept inside, for if let loose, men will not be able to control their lust and sexually attack them. Many Westerner’s would believe this to be a crime committed by the man, but “most Muslim families regard violence against women as something that women themselves provoke” (Ali 19). In these countries, a woman’s worth is reduced to her hymen. Virginity is so sacred that girls’ genitals are mutilated without their consent to ensure their purity. I had heard these facts before, but I hated thinking about them. How could these horrific ordeals be happening in today’s society? By reading The Caged Virgin, I was once again forced to dig deeper into my beliefs. If I have always felt so passionately for women’s equality, how come I never considered the lives of girls everywhere? The crimes being made against girls around the world are human right’s violations that must be stopped. Of course, moral and cultural relativism complicate things, but don’t girls around the world deserve to grow up in a safe environment that does not treat them like sexual objects to be auctioned off to the…

    • 1595 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Sex In Sub-Saharan Africa

    • 1095 Words
    • 4 Pages

    It may also be due to the lack of awareness of the physical consequences and outcomes that may be faced by fulfilling the sexual desires of their partners. Women in such cultures are shy in expressing themselves and prefer to bear the pain instead of talking about it. The stigma and taboo associated with discussing sexual issues are also a key factor in this respect. In many African cultures, sex as phenomena is not discussed between men and women; it is only discussed secretly by man, treated as sacred and confined to persons in relationships. Due to cultural restrictions, there is a lack of formal sex education systems in many parts of the world which results in a weak foundation of health information that is based on hearsay rather than based on the information from medical journals, books, and magazines. Hence, it is critical to know the genitourinary system of male and female to understand how the sexual pleasure techniques may affect the health of…

    • 1095 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Chagga Culture

    • 764 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Now this also traces back to the school curriculum. The domestic science lessons teach schoolgirls that sharing razors and knives is risky and using these objects during circumcision is more dangerous than remaining uninitiated. As a response, women who circumcise girls state “Why is it we didn’t have problems like AIDS around when everyone was getting circumcised? … Circumcised girls don’t fornicate.” This shows that being initiated is not about health or the unsanitary issues related with it, instead it is about culture and following tradition. The fact that many educated women refuse to go through the initiation process shows a change in society as a result of schooling and what is taught to the…

    • 764 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Great Essays

    Child Mortality rates in the developing world are shockingly low. Infants in the developing world are much less likely to survive than infants in the developed world. Children in these countries are dying from diseases like malaria, measles, and HIV/AIDS. Malnutrition and the lack of safe water are also major causes for these infants death. All of these preventable deaths could end if there was universal education. If people in these developed countries had better jobs they could afford to give their families adequate food and nutrition. An educated populous is also much less susceptible to diseases like measles and HIV/AIDs since they know how to avoid catching these diseases. Uneducated girls are more vulnerable to deadly sexually transmitted diseases like HIV/AIDS. HIV spreads twice as fast among uneducated girls because they are not knowledgeable on safe sex. If children have free access to sexual education they will be less likely to engage in unprotected sex which will lower the amount of people who get infected with deadly STDs like Aids. With Universal Primary education all over the world we can improve people’s quality of life and stop preventable deaths. A major reason why children mortality rates are low in the developing world is because of female genital mutilation. Due to this practice many women and their offspring die…

    • 1580 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays