“ FGM is a violation of girls and women’s fundamental human rights.”
What Is Female Genital Mutilation?
Female genital mutilation(FGM), also known as female genital cutting is the ritual cutting or removal of some or all of the external female genitalia and also includes lesions of the female genital tract! It's mutilation! Is a form of violence against girls that have been around for more than a thousand years. And honestly, I can't believe it's still going on. Female genital mutilation is classified into four types: well, I don’t want to explain all of them, but all types include the removal of a part; except for the last one. Type four includes all barbaric techniques, destruction.
Who is affected?
Well, especially young girls. It can happen in their first years of life. If they are more than 15 years old, their life is in danger. This practice can affect their whole life. It is also practiced in women of different ages, at the beginning of a marriage or after birth. Women will bleed, the procedure can make a hard hemorrhage.
In which countries is female genital mutilation practiced? This procedure is practiced by about 30 countries from Africa and the Middle East, and in my opinion, this is worrying. Mutilation is also legal in the EU, 600,000 women living in Europe have been subjected to this practice. FGM is therefore a global concern.
What impact does it have on women’s lives?
Female genital mutilation has a physical and psychological impact on people’s lives. The physical effect is the most dangerous. Bleeding, infections, difficulty urinating and more can occur. Mental health risks are present since mutilation. Young girls will be scared, will be ashamed of their appearance, will feel strange, and will never have a normal life. Anxiety and depression can make their presence felt. Immediate complications can include: severe pain, excessive bleeding (hemorrhage), injury to surrounding genital tissue, genital tissue swelling, fever, death, infections, tetanus, urinary problems, wound healing problems, shock. Long-term complications can include: scar tissue and keloid, psychological problems, need for later surgeries, urinary problems, and many more.
Why is this happening?
First of all, this deed reflects gender inequality. Why inequality? Because the woman has always been the submissive, helpless human. She has no right to an opinion and is forced to destroy her life. Although this is the main reason, religion has intervened over time: To be more precise it started with Islamism and Christianity. The religions that support this practice claim that the woman remains pure and beautiful. But now no religion promotes or condones FGM. FGM is often considered a necessary part of raising a girl, and a way to prepare her for adulthood and marriage. The reasons are given for practicing FGM fall generally into five categories: psychosexual reasons, sociological and cultural reasons, hygiene and aesthetic reasons, religious reasons, socio-economic factors.
Can we stop that?
Hope! Our entire community hopes. The World Health Assembly makes progress in helping stop this technique. This association focuses on developing and implementing guidelines, tools, training, and policy to ensure that health care providers can provide medical care and counseling to girls and women living with FGM and communicate for prevention of the practice.
Progress to end FGM needs to be at least 10 times faster if the practice is to be eliminated by 2030.
Only together can we change that! No woman deserves such torture!
Editor- Melissa Parv
Comentários