Female genital mutilation is practiced by different tribes and cultures. It is used to ensure social and moral norms among girls, and it is believed that it symbolizes maturity. It is used to control women in many regions (Simister 247).
Africa and the Middle East have recorded the highest number of cases of FGM in the recent past (Masho and Matthews 232). Sunna circumcision is practiced mostly in these regions. It involves the cutting of prepuce. Clitoridectomy is a painful removal of the clitoris and scrapping of the labia majora. Infibulation is mostly performed by Somalis and practiced through the Nile. It involves cutting of clitoris and sewing scrapped sides of the vulva across the vagina.
Mutilating is used in place of circumcision by authors because it is not necessary and harmful. It should not be compared to regular circumcision because it is a safe medical procedure (Ekenze, Ezegwal, and Adiri 285). It may cause such complications as a genital malfunction and recurrent urinary infections of the genitals. The authors of the article are ethnocentric because they do not consider the history of these traditions and the fact that villagers are not educated on this topic. They describe it as barbaric, wrong, and unacceptable. However, this point of view is justified because this practice is illegal and causes severe health problems.
This article describes why such operations are considered necessary in some regions. It is believed that it should be performed before the marriage. FGM is practiced to make a girl clean. Alternatives to such initiation ceremonies are also described. The prohibition of such acts may be dangerous in some regions and may lead to protests and conflicts. However, it is necessary. Long-term implications of intervention are not discussed in this article, and it is an issue because cultural differences should be considered first of all. Overall, it is a huge problem because it violates the rights of many females but it is a part of the tradition in some communities, and they are not educated on this issue.
Works Cited
Ekenze, S. O., H. U. Ezegwui, and C. O. Adiri. “Genital Lesions Complicating Female Genital Cutting in Infancy: A Hospital-Based Study in South-East Nigeria”. Annals of Tropical Paediatrics 27.4 (2007): 285-290. Print.
Masho, Saba W., and Lindsey Matthews. “Factors Determining Whether Ethiopian Women Support Continuation of Female Genital Mutilation”. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics 107.3 (2009): 232-235. Print.
Simister, John G. “Domestic Violence and Female Genital Mutilation in Kenya: Effects of Ethnicity and Education”. Journal of Family Violence 25.3 (2009): 247-257. Print.