Female genital mutilation: what is it and why does this practice involve at least 200 million women | World



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Although the practice is mainly concentrated in 30 countries in Africa and the Middle East, it also exists in parts of Asia and Latin America. And among the immigrant populations living in Western Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand, say the United Nations.

To mark its ongoing campaign against this practice, the UN on Wednesday (6) defined the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation.

This practice can cause physical and psychological problems that affect women throughout their lives, says Bishara Sheikh Hamo of the Borana community in Kenya.

"I was mutilated at the age of 11. My grandmother told me that it was a requirement for all girls, which would make us pure. "

But what they did not say to Bishara, is that she would have a menstrual cycle. irregular, bladder problems, recurrent infections and, when the time came, she could only deliver by caesarean section.

She is now an anti-mutilation activist.

What is Female Genital Mutilation?

Female bad mutilation, or its acronym for "MGF", is the deliberate cutting or removal of female badia.

The practice involves ablation or cutting of the lips and clitoris, and the World Health Organization describes it as "a procedure that injures female bads without medical justification".

Omnia Ibrahim, Egyptian blogger and filmmaker, says that female bad mutilation is painful, harming women's relationships and what they feel for themselves.

"You are an ice cube, you feel nothing, you do not like, you have no desire," he said.

Omnia claims to have fought the psychological impact of bad mutilation throughout his adult life. She states that her community has taught her "that a body means bad and that bad is a sin." In my opinion, my body has become a curse.

"I always wondered: did I hate bad because I had learned to be afraid of it or did I really care?" Four other girls: "I was blindfolded, then they tied my hands behind them, my legs were open and my labia."

"After a few minutes, I started to feel a sharp pain." I screamed, shouted, but no one heard me, I tried to let myself go, but my body was stuck. "

She said the procedure was tragic." It is one of the most severe medical procedures and there is no hygiene. They use the same cutting tool for all girls. "

The only painkiller available was made from a plant." There is a hole in the ground and a plant in that hole. "Next, they tied me up like a kid and rubbed it in. Then there is the next girl, the next girl and the next girl … "

Mutilation

  • Type 1 : Clitoridectomy . It involves the partial or total removal of the clitoris and the surrounding skin.
  • Type 2: Excision It involves the partial or total removal of the clitoris and labia minora.
  • Type 3: Infibulation Cut or reposition large and small labia. In general, you have to sew to leave a small opening.

The practice is not only extremely painful and stressful, but it also generates a risk of infection: closing the bad and the urethra leaves a small opening through which menstrual fluids and l? urine pbad.

In fact, the opening is sometimes so narrow that it must be opened to allow penetration into bad or delivery, often resulting in complications for the mother and the mother. ;child.

  • Type 4: Covers all other types of mutilation, such as perforation, incision, scraping and cauterization of the clitoris or bad area.

Most of the reasons for female bad mutilation are related to social acceptance, religion, disinformation about hygiene, the preservation of virginity, the "caste" of women and the expansion of male pleasure.

In some cultures, female bad mutilation is considered a rite of pbadage into adulthood and a prerequisite for marriage.

As a general rule, however, the procedure is conducted against the will of the woman.

Many women interviewed by Unicef ​​and the World Health Organization say that it is taboo to talk about mutilation in their communities. Statistics are therefore based on estimates.

Sometimes women do not openly talk about the subject for fear of environmental criticism. In other cases, in countries where the practice is illegal, it is for fear of prosecution against family members or members of the community.

  • Genital Mutilation: Girls' Nightmare in Indonesia

The map above was prepared by the Woman Stats project, which combined information on the subject with data from the United Nations and UNICEF.

It is estimated that female bad mutilation is concentrated in 30 countries in Africa and the Middle East, as well as in some African and Latin American countries and in communities in Africa. immigrants living in Eastern Europe. North, Australia and New Zealand, says the UN.

According to a UNICEF study conducted in 29 countries in Africa and the Middle East, the practice is still widely adopted, although 24 of these countries have laws or other forms prohibition of FGM.

In countries like the UK, where this mutilation is illegal, jurist Charlotte Proudman says that the practice has developed in infants and children and that it is "virtually impossible to detect ", children not being educated or not. are old enough to report it.

Recently, a mother – of Ugandan descent – became the first person in the UK to be found guilty of mutilating her three-year-old daughter. His sentence will be released on March 8th.

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