Female Genital Mutilation Research Paper

Female genital mutilation (FGM) also known as female circumcision is a tradition passed down from generation to generation occurring all around the world affecting millions of women and young girls. FGM is controversial matter most prevalent in Africa (Ahanonu and Victor, 2014). To this day it’s estimated that about 28 African countries still practice this ritual including Nigeria (Ahanonu and Victor, 2014). In the past twenty years there has been a worldwide increased interest in FGM due to its multiplicity and lifelong effects. Some people believe FGM violates basic human rights where others believe this ritual is required to increase their chances of marriageability and that this practice is a transition from adolescents into adulthood

For class today, we read two brief articles on genital mutilation. In class, we also watched V-Day: Until the Violence Stops. Female genital mutilation is the removal of some or all of the external female genitalia. It is performed with a blade with or without anesthesia. I have been aware of the idea of male circumcision before, but I had honestly never thought about female circumcision before the reading. It shocked me to learn that certain cultures did not want women to have sexual desires. As a teenager growing up I did not know enough about my own body, I could only imagine what it was like to not understand your own body and not understand why your community would want you to have a FGM procedure done. Leyla Hussein explained that she

The scope of this research is focused only on FGM for among all the kinds/types of mutilation, FGM are the most studied and controversial kind/type of mutilation.

However, I question such reasoning. Is FGM a human rights violation? I believe it can be, especially in cases in which the practice is done on children and/or forced. And while this may be true in many cases and the masking of this under the guise of maintaining tradition must be addressed by the world community, female circumcision is not always forced and is possible to be performed on a consenting adult for various cultural reasons. This may be a difficult argument to follow in countries such as Djibouti and Egypt, in which the prevalence of FGM reaches close to ninety-eight percent of the female population. However, there are many countries in sub Saharan Africa such as Kenya and Liberia that are closer to fifty percent and many countries with an even smaller percentage of the female population being circumcised , so there is some level of choice in these countries. No matter how unnecessary and barbaric some may see the practice, FGM must be acknowledged as a cultural practice in cases in which it is not forced but rather sought after by a consenting adult, utilizing cultural relativism in recognizing that female circumcision may be an acceptable practice to some people and their culture should not be persecuted unnecessarily by members of the contemporary human rights movement who cannot relate to it for no reason other than that. So the question is asked again, is female genital mutilation a violation of human rights? Only in some cases. For this reason, to

The class COM 231 overall has helped me in many different ways throughout. I personally feel like I’ve learned many new things as well. Going into the class I thought I was going to have to surmount a big conflict because public speaking isn’t one of my strongest suits. I do always recommend this class to all of my peers because indeed it does help with public speaking. Through the class I have improved skills, learned new ones, and even had some tough moments.

The author of this article is Nigeen Akram. She was a volunteer who wanted to go to Iraq and study what was going on with Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). She interviewed a girl named Payam. She was a victim of FGM. All her life she wondered why her mother and grandmother did this to her. Her experience alone was terrifying not to mention the main procedure. This can give people insight on what is happening with females today. FGM is still around and many people still do it.

Now that we know little about the mutilation process these females undergoes; let’s ask ourselves “Why would someone ever agree to conduct such procedure on their own will?” If mutilation emphasizes the clear violation of human rights, why is this procedure being implemented in many different countries? Well, this issue is due to different ethical, and moral perspective; one may believe that female mutilation is morally right; while others may think it’s a violation of human rights. Let’s first explore the ethical theories on this

Throughout history, there has been a controversial argument on whether female genital mutilation should be banned from Africa. Some people describe female genital mutilation or FGM as a violation of women’s rights and others view it as served for a religious purpose having to do with the Islamic holy book, the Qur’an. Female Genital Mutilation is the removal of all or part of the external parts of the female genitalia. There are three different types of FGM; the first type of FGM is the Sunna Circumcision which is the removal of the tip of the clitoris. The second type is Clitoridectomy which is the removal of the entire clitoris and the adjacent labia. The third type is Infibulation which is the removal of the clitoris and the entire labia including the labia majora and minora. After the removal of the entire labia, the joining of the scraped sides are brought together using thorns or catgut, leaving only a small portion open for menstruation and urinating. Africa has the highest rates of FGM being performed. About 100 million women and girls are affected by FGM and at least 3 million girls are at risk undergoing this process every year. FGM is usually carried out by an elderly woman who is paid fees from the family of the girl undergoing this process (P.a.p.-Blog par. 2, 4). Female Genital Mutilation is usually performed on girl between the ages of three and adulthood. According to the UNICEF or United

100 to 140 million girls and women worldwide are living with the consequences of FGM.

Female Genital Mutilation is a practice in which external portions of female genitalia are removed for non-medical, cultural reasons. In many countries and cultures, young girls are forced to go through this procedure before getting married, based on the belief that the practice will keep them pure and virgins. This practice, set in place by a patriarchal hegemonic system, controls and decides the lives of any girls in a lot of places. Often times, these lives are ended because the practice is non-medical, not safe, and definitely not even done the right way.

In thirty countries, concentrated mainly in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, “More than 200 million girls and women alive today have been cut...” in a practice widely known as female genital mutilation or FGM. (Female Genital Mutilation) FGM can be classified into three major types. The first includes the partial of full removal of the clitoris and, in very rare cases, they will just cut off the clitoral hood. The second entails removal of part or the entire clitoris, and the labia minora. This also sometimes includes removal of the labia majora. The third major type of this horrid practice is the most cruel. Someone will cut the labia minora or majora on both sides and will then go on to stitch them together, creating a cover over

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) or a less ethnocentric term Female Circumcision is a form of violence that is approved by the societies in which it is practiced. About 183 million women have undergone such mutilation. The geographic areas of practice include North-East Africa and parts of the Middle East. Although it is illegal in Canada, it is practiced by immigrants from those areas. For the most part, men do not involve themselves in the practice, and its greatest supporters are women in the communities affected. It

Filmed in Sierra Leone and Ethiopia, this documentary sheds light on the cultural variations that surround this practice and the different levels of government and humanitarian intervention in place in both countries (Mediterranean Women, 2006). The film gives voice to the generations of women who have been silenced by the secrecy that surrounds FGM and presents the truth behind why it still exists today (IRIN NEWS, 2015). The film shows that an end to FGM can only exist when governments impose the necessary legislation but will only end completely when the communities themselves no longer regard female circumcision as an essential part of tradition and culture The function of this practice, whether mild or severe, is ultimately to reduce a woman’s sexual desire, and so ensure her virginity until marriage. The more extensive procedure, involving stitching of the vagina, has the same aim, but reducing the size of the vagina is also intended to increase the husband’s enjoyment of the sexual act (IRIN NEWS,

Imagine this! Being either a young girl or a woman forcefully bound against your will while elders perform a procedure called Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). The young girls and women who are forced to have this procedure done not only loses their rights to sexual pleasure but their rights are sliced, chopped, punctured, and finally burnt away. Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) otherwise known as Female Genital Circumcision (FGC) is also a controversial topic in Western societies. This paper will examine the history of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), hegemonic perspective on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), health consequences of having this procedure done, how Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) affects women’s sexual function, and women who

Thus, female genital cutting, the most commonly covered type of genital cutting logically seems to be the type to discuss first. Female genital cutting has also been referred to as female genital mutilation (FGM) and female circumcision, however both of these terms are loaded with different connotations. Female genital mutilation, as discussed by Christine J. Walley of New York University in her article “Searching for “Voices”,” “carries the implicit assumption that parents and relatives deliberately intend to harm children,” (Walley, 407); moreover, “mutilation”