Thursday, 16 April 2009
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An End To Vagina Mutilation
In this CNN article posted today, ten villages in western Niger have publicly denounced the practice of female circumcision. Overall, this is a small victory. Though the overall rate of genital mutilation in Niger has dropped from 5.8 percent to 2 percent, 66 percent of the women in the western parts of Niger still are subjected to this.
The procedure involves partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs whether for cultural or religious reasons. This can result in prolonged bleeding, higher risk of HIV infection, infertility, and death. As you can see in the chart below, this practice is common throughout Africa. Female genital mutilation is also common in some parts of Asia and the Middle East.
While there is progress in ending this practice, a quote from this person in the CNN article has me scratching my head in their reasoning. "I have given up the bad work, because it does not bring anything to our village. We thought it was good for women, that it was going to bring them success. But we found out that it does not bring anything."
Though part of a country's religious and/or cultural beliefs, do you think this practice should be stopped?
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- From: dannyb0y@xanga
- Name: Dan
- Location: California, United States
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Comments (278)
girls... can be... CIRCUMCISED? what the hell? how have i never known this? =O
I think that it's a human rights violation. We discussed this in my Religious Studies class.
I think it should be stopped.
That'd be terrifying :(
I don't think I wanna say anything else...
I wrote about this a while ago, and I definitely think it should be stopped.
However, I was surprised at the number of people who were extremely indifferent to the entire situation.
This is widely regarded as a violation of international law and an egregious human-rights violation. The result of the mutilation is often, intentionally, to deprive women of sensation during sex to supposedly keep them more "pure." Tales of the means used to forcibly mutilate little girls, without anesthetic or medical training, often with broken glass or other crude objects, are appalling, and some girls have died as a result. It's another example of an extreme form of hatred for women, and an appalling act of violence against them. It absolutely must be stopped. Good post on an important topic.
One last comment is this is not an accepted belief under any religion. Even if it were, that would not really be relevant. You can't mutilate people and claim it's ok because of religion. Similarly, there can be no cultural justification for such a practice, just as culture does not justify so-called "honor killings" of women. I don't think this issue is viewed as subject to varying opinions, except among the small population who actually do this, but Serena's point about the indifference is very well taken. I am floored that people don't seem to care.
I think it should be stopped..It's a form of cruelty towards women...It's just wrong!!!
@tulipsinspring@xanga - thank you for sharing all the information with us, especially about the religion part. i agree with you. i believe you could write a great post about this with all you know about this.
@SerenaDante@xanga - I didn't see this post and would be really interested in reading it. Can you steer me to it? Thanks!
It should be stopped considering the huge health risks...
@tulipsinspring@xanga - The original post I wrote is here: http://serenadante.xanga.com/691603914/genital-mutilation---why-i-dont-care-about-political-correctness/ It was actually featured on both datingish and healthkicker on that day =D Hahaha... so those definitely got a whole bunch more attention than my actual post.
Everytime i hear about this problem in Africa, it makes me want to throw up...I feel so bad for those women :'(
@SerenaDante@xanga - Thanks! I'm off to read, and wow that's quite a range of places to be featured!
the first time I heard of this practice i became sick to my stomache. I could never ever imagine the fear and pain the women go through....
it is a heinous cruel and disgusting thing that they do.
And as someone mentioned its done so the women do not feel sexual pleasure. they believe women should NOT enjoy sex. Its meant for reproduction and thats all. sex should not be enjoyable.
This is COMPLETELY wrong. Everytime i hear about this I am disgusted and I question human beings.
It needs to be stopped but this is, as many things are, much easier said then done....
it's insane that people do this.
Well personally I'm circumcized and glad to be. That bit of extra skin would cramp my style.
But then I don't have a vagina.
How does one circumcize a vagina anyway? Their's not much to cut off is there?
That's terrifying and disturbing...
Hi
A hearty Good Morning to you from India.
Of course Africa is still the dark continent in many ways.I served in Ethiopia and requested my neighboring womenfolk to try to discourage this practice but they said they had to suffer this often because of tradition!!Tradition,my foot!
I also did some sensitization work in this regard in the numerous places where I used to travel as TESOL inspector general in charge of 4700 schools.You have to go out there and get help from the Health Department for stopping this legally.
What a pity for those wonderful women out there!
sadaboy
It's like abortion: unless individuals themselves want to stop it, it will still be done in secret even if there are laws against it. The most that can be done is what IS being done: education as to why FGM is bad. Better still would be the alleviation of the the things that make people believe it's a good thing. This requires the help of men... again by education and/or outright persuassion.
Believe it or not, it is mostly women that carry on the practice if anyone does and for much the same reasons as female infanticide is often practiced by women. This happens most often in societies where female sexuality is highly condemned, where men have the right to to kill disobedient or sexually compromised female family members, and where women have few if any civil rights.
Aside from the above, the reason for the female infanticide is that husbands prefer sons and consider daughters a burden and possible shame. It's a kind of mercy killing to save her from life in a male dominated Hell. Also saves the mother from being berated and possibly beaten for giving birth to a daughter.
FGM is to kill female sexual desire so a male family member has one less excuse to kill her in the future. They figure she won't stray on her own if she doesn't like sex. Also, they think it makes her more docile in the way a neutered bull is more docile.
@Justin_DeBin@xanga - The cliterous is removed, root and all. That's where a woman is most sexually sensitive. Without it, sex is either simply uncomfortable or totally painful for her. Sometimes the labia (outer lips) are also removed as she would otherwise have some sensitivity there as well. In some tribes, the vagina is actually sewn up either entirely until she's wanted to concieve, and then between pregnancies, or only a small opening is left for the entertainment of her spouse. This last one is the most painful and dangerous of them all.
I can see why you'd be against it.
oh no....very painful.
I think that it should be stopped. It is not fair to the women. It has no benefit. Isn't one of the main points to being a woman is to have children? I know that some women are naturally unable to have children. That's a different story. Sometimes this practice causes women to not be able to have babies So what is this point?
I hope the rest of the places that continues with this practice follow in the steps of the villages that have stopped.
It needs to be stopped.
I heard about this rituals and I am glad that they are slowly putting an end to it. I think that it's just wrong.