In Kenya approximately 28% of the female population has undergone this procedure (Muthoni). Although it causes women endless agonizing pain and medical problems, female circumcision is still performed.
Ash Martinez
113 B English
Professor Bieber
12 February 2013
It is Happening Now
Female circumcision is a horrid procedure that traumatizes many women’s lives. In many countries, circumcision is a mandatory religious ritual that women undergo between the ages of 11-15. In Kenya approximately 28% of the female population has undergone this procedure (Muthoni). Although it causes women endless agonizing pain and medical problems, female circumcision is still performed.The only way to abolish this practice is to get more people aware of the issue and educate the Kenyan people about the dangers of female circumcision.
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a procedure where a female has to get her genital area cut. There are four types of FGM: Type 1 is called clitoridectomy, in which there is a slight cut or total removal of the clitoris;Type 2 is called excision, which is a partial or total removal of the clitoris and of the libia. Type 3 is called infibulations, which is the narrowing the vagina opening; and Type 4 it is when they completely take off the whole entire genital area is removed . In Kenya, Type 1 FGM is performed. Kenyan women are obligated to undergo this procedure because of her family’s religious beliefs, tradition, rite of passage, and the males needs and not wanting to be looked down upon in their society.
When under going cutting is happening there is a huge traditional ritual going on celebrating the girl into woman-hood. The males get the cattle and provide the food then the females cook a
big meal for the ceremony . Before the cut the girls are obligated to learn the way of being a woman. The tradition only happens once a year the people of the small town gather up all the female who are ready for a right of passage .It is not only a tradition but also a right of passage because once the girls are cut they are qualified as women of the town.
The males in the country believe if the woman is not cut than she is not pure. .In the fact sheet called “Female genital mutilation” say “FGM is often considered a necessary part of raising a girl properly, and a way to prepare her for adulthood and marriage”(Muthoni).Kenyans believe that a woman will not be clean to her future spouse if she is not circumcised . When a female says no to the cut, she will be disowned by both her family and society. Men do not want a female to have any sexual desire or sexual need .In a male’s mind, they believe that females should not have a right to sexual need. A young boy says "Women are like property here. We circumcise them and marry them off "(Gathigah) It surprises me on how the men think in Kenya. One of their beliefs is”Some view the clitoris and the labia as male parts on a female body, thus removal of these parts enhances the femininity of the girl.” The people in Kenya are so use to the tradition from their ancestors that they still believe everything from the past is still true.
Most of the time an other female practices the procedure and she is an older woman from the small town. When undergoing the circumcision, the girls do not have any sort of pain killer or anesthesia. In addition the razors that are being used are unsanitary, as they have been used before which leads to severe infection, if not death. They lay the girl down and begin to cut with, when finished cutting the lady whom practices FGM throws the skin away. In the article “Female Genital Mutilation – The Facts” (Muthoni) WHO says that about one third of the females that get cut will die. If the female does not die, she will most likely experience many health issues. When the wound is fresh the girl can catch many diseases .She can have intense pain that can lead to shock. (Muthoni) Studies show that 97% of the 269 woman interviewed went threw horrid pain right after the cut and 13% went to immediate shock. (Muthoni) When a woman’s surgery does not go so well, she will not be able to have children. (Multhoni)By the females not being able not to give birth, younger females are to have younger arranged marriage. The long term complications for the girls are urinary tract infections, HIV, infertility, higher risk of maternal morbidity,sexual frigidity, genital malformation, and many more other physical and mental issues.There are actual no health benefits when women are under going the cut. Women all around the world are trying to stop female circumcision. The women are starting to realize that getting the procedure done is only harming them .Also the natives are starting to notice that there is no health benefits to FGM. There are many activist that are strongly against female circumcision and are trying their best to stop the practice. People are becoming more aware of the health issues and are slowing trying to stop the process.
In 2001 Kenya passed law making FGM a crime; anyone who performs FGM can be sentenced to jail for 7 years an fined a lot of money. In the article UN hails drop in female genital mutilation by BBC News claims “Figures that revel that the fewer girls in Africa and the Middle East are being subjected to female genital mutilation show it is possible to end the practice, the UN has said”.I think that everyone whom is practicing female genital mutilation is becoming more aware of how much of a negative effect it has on woman’s lives.(ed) Surprisingly the numbers of girls having a genital mutilation have gone down in Kenya. The women whom are 45 threw 49 are three times more likely to have been cut than the girls who are 15-19.We are living in a time now that women are more aware now of what is happening in the world and know to say no.Women are trying to find their way to actually go out of their way an not be a slave to her arranged marriage husband.
Although, the numbers are decreasing female genital mutilation is still happening all around the world like in Kenya.Women are still finding a way out and escaping a place they once called home.They are being scarred for life for a belief that is not even remotely true.Also going threw excruciating pain and endless nightmares that will haunt them their whole lives.
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a procedure where a female has to get her genital area cut.
http://www.rebellesociety.com/2012/12/17/a-culture-of-torture-stop-female-genital-mutilation/
There are four types of FGM: Type 1 is called clitoridectomy, in which there is a slight cut or total removal of the clitoris;Type 2 is called excision, which is a partial or total removal of the clitoris and of the libia. Type 3 is called infibulations, which is the narrowing the vagina opening; and Type 4 it is when they completely take off the whole entire genital area is removed
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fgm_Type.jpg
The razors that are being used are unsanitary, as they have been used before which leads to severe infection, if not death.
http://www.jillstanek.com/new-stanek-column-no-compromis.html
When undergoing the circumcision, the girls do not have any sort of pain killer or anesthesia.
http://militantskepticism.wordpress.com/2012/05/23/fgm-culture-and-religion/
http://mywokenya.org/research.html
In the article “UN hails drop in female genital mutilation” BBC News claims that there might be a stop to female circumcision.Female circumcision is a very unsafeprocedure that females go threw growing up.BBC News says that the women from the ages 45 and 49 are most likely under gone circumcision.An the girls from the ages of 15-19 have a bigger chance of not having one done.Some countries around the world the circumcision is a way to show how courages you are and it is a traditional right.Many charities by the UN have said to be that there was a day for calling off all of the circumcisions. Surprisingly the rates of circumcisions have came to a low point.In BCC News they say “Last year, 1,775 communities in Africa publicly declared their commitment to end the practice, the UN said”.I am so glad that in the future there will not be that may women going threw circumcision.
Martinez 4
Work Cited
GATHIGAH, MIRIAM . "Kenya: Men Turning the Tide Against FGM." All Africa . 6 FEB 2013: 2. Web. 20 Feb. 2013. <http://allafrica.com/stories/201302070542.html>.
Nadine. "Basic Information Kenya." Pink Pangea RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2013
Muthoni,Rachel.”Outlawed Female Genital Mutilation Persists in Kenya.The Wip.19.September 2011.The Wip.Web.20 February 2013. <http://www.thewip.net/contributors/2011/09/outlawed_female_genital_mutila.html>
ed. "UN hails drop in female genital mutilation." BBC News. N.p., 7 Feb 2013. Web. 20 Feb 2013. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21367942>.
, ed. "Female genital mutilation." who.int. who. Web. <http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs241/en/>.
"Humanitarian News and Analysis." IRINnews. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2013.
"Female Genital Mutilation." Female Genital Mutilation. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2013.
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