Female Circumcision: Battle for the Body

I recently did a presentation on female genital mutilation, and thought it would be a good idea to post about a topic so few are informed about. Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a procedure that’s performed on women in three major forms. Clitodirectomy consists of the removal of the clitoris, while excision requires the removal of the clitoris and surrounding labia. Lastly, infibulation is the most severe of the three with the removal of the clitoris, labia and stitching of the vagina, leaving a very small opening. The equivalent of infibulation for a male would be cutting off the entire penis and a portion of the scrotum.  Female genital mutilation is often performed without anesthesia and in unsanitary conditions.

Razor blades, a common pair of scissors, even a piece of glass are all used as instruments in the process. Women who have had the procedure done not only deal with immense pain and excruciating recovery, they also deal with many severe side effects that can last for life. Problems with menses, urination, cysts, stillbirths, septicemia, shock, increased risk for the HIV infection, infertility, and even death can all be issues that result from FGM. Women who have undergone the procedure have also reported severe effects to her mental health, as it is understandably a traumatic experience done in her youthful years. Female genital mutilation is frequently performed in Africa, specifically the East African countries of Mail, Sudan, and Senegal, as well as Indonesia and the Middle East. Tradition plays a large role in FGM. Middle Eastern countries have been known to favor clitodirectomies as culture places a large emphasis on the absence of pleasure for women during sexual encounters. In Africa, marriage desirability commands FGM to take place, and female circumcision is viewed as a right of passage into womanhood. A woman is seen as marriage material once she has undergone the procedure, as men will refuse a woman who has not been “purified” by way of FGM.

Western culture notoriously views FGM as a demonic act that violates a woman’s right to her body and sexuality. While the medical implications and young age provide solid arguments in defense of the evils of female genital mutilation, Western feminism is frequently criticized on the basis of ethnocentrism.  Our class came to a group consensus that if there was an equivalent for men to endure then it would be less horrendous on the basis of feminism, as well as proper medical facilities that could ensure safe health practices for these young women. The idea of putting girls through excruciating pain when a reasonable alternative of antiseptic and anesthetic can be provided seems primitive in a modern world. Every life is important, and women’s health and well-being should not be sacrificed for the sake of tradition. It’s time to take control and compromise in practice, instead of compromising any more lives.