In Somalia Girls experience a horrific tradition that changes their lives completely. Female Genital Mutilation is causing young Somalian girls mental and health issues that often lead to death. Together we can make other people aware of this issue and educate Somalian women about the dangerous this practice causes young girls.
https://www.google.com/search?um=1&hl=en&newwindow=1&tbm=isch&q=female+circumcision+SOMALIA+WOMEN&spell=1&sa=X&ei=23QsUYvqNoG4igLi0oCADg&ved=0CFIQBSgA&biw=1366&bih=643#imgrc=xFlpq3jxWcCNwM%3A%3BYHVuwIwMjBIPqM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252F2.bp.blogspot.com%252F-4g7MOXHKoXs%252FTfjfvTm_M_I%252FAAAAAAAAAOw%252FzyyreT-lz7o%252Fs1600%252Fimage-six.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Ftherighthuman.blogspot.com%252F2011%252F06%252Fafghanistan-is-worlds-most-dangerous.html%3B940%3B600
Carina Gonzalez
English 113B
Professor Bieber
22 February 2013
Girls
with Dreams, Endure a Life Changing Tradition
Somalian women are accustomed to follow customs
and traditions that require young girls to undergo circumcision; this practice
must be eradicated. Female circumcision is causing a variety of physical
medical and mental issues to Somalian women. Although, there have been laws to enacted
to ban this practice ritual, female circumcision continues. Therefore, this unnecessary
practice has to be ended by educating people about why female circumcision is a
problem worldwide and specifically educating Somalian women.
The
tradition of cutting the genital area of young girls is performed on girls
between the ages 4 to 15. This tradition
has been so ingrained in Somalian culture that women who do not undergo this
ritual are often beaten and tortured. Furthermore, women are shunned by men and
are unlikely to marry. The Somalian culture believes that a true Somalian man
has to marry a uncircumcised women because they are represented to be pure. As a
cultural tradition female circumcision is frequently done by an everyday group
of women. The author Uzaoamaka Ajah in
the article “Female Genital Mutilation, Inhumanity Against Women” mentions the Health
Organization (WHO) classifies three types of female genital mutilation; the
first type is the complete removal of the clitoris, type two is the removal of
the clitoris followed by the inner Labia, lastly there is type three this procedure is
the cutting of all female genital organs including inner, outer labia, and the
clitoris, nor anesthesia and with the use of razor blades, scissors, or knives,
In Somalia women suffer the most horrific type of female genital mutilation which
is type three. Therefore, this tradition is causing Somalian girls the most unendurable
amount of pain. Diane Taylor in her article
“Women: I want to help other girls “quotes “It felt like I was being skinned
alive with the breath driven out of my body. The hot, searing pain forced a
scream from my throat, my legs coiling into spring that made the grip of the
two women tighten even more.” This detailed description describes the horrific pain women have to suffer for this ritual that brings Somalian
women nothing but unnecessary complications all through out their lives. Most of
the women who carry out the initiation are not well educated and sometimes end up cutting a vein, causing the girl to bleed
to death. After undergoing this practice
girls are sewn back together with the use of thorns, followed by the tying of
their legs in order to heal their wounds and make their organs compose. The
pain Somalian girls undertake is not only felt through the procedure itself but
the healing process bringing diseases and pain during urination and menstruation.
Moreover, The author Sara Corbett of
the article “A Cutting Tradition” quotes “One, it will stabilize her libido, Two,
it will make a women more beautiful in the eyes of her husband and three, it
will balance her psychology”. Explaining three reasons why Somalian
families make their daughters go through this procedure. Men and women believe that
being pure is being circumcised and phrase uncircumcised women as dirty. Controlling
the sex drive of married women, and men from Somalia believe this is the only
way a married women will stay fully committed and faithful to their husbands
throughout the years of their marriage. Furthermore, culture plays a major role in the reasons behind why this ritual is
being done; women are accustomed to the idea that circumcision is something
positive in the lives of their young children.
Girls grow up to believe that after they
have been circumcised they will fit into their culture surroundings making
girls want to undergo the female genital mutilation unaware of the pain it will
cause them.
According to Corbett the procedure
has certain degrees of brutality meaning there might be cases with more damage
to the reproductive system then others she states over 140 million Somalian
women are affected by this cutting tradition. Corbett describes how some of the
events take place in local areas such as classrooms, or prayer centers
organized to seem like any normal daily event. According to “New Constitution Bans
Mutilating Girls” from the Africa news discusses that female circumcision
causes severe bleeding, infections, postpartum hemorrhage, infertility and
death. These medical issues are experienced all throughout the lives of these
young Somalian women making menstruation and urination painful, as well as
intercourse and giving birth. As a result, female circumcision not only changes
the lives of these girls but kills women daily. De Bertonano, Helena speaks in the document “Desert
Flower Speaks Out”: “She had a blank, dead face and horrible eyes.” She took a
broken razor blade from a bag , spat on it to remove the dried blood and wiped
it against her dress.” The Next thing I felt was my flesh, my genitals, being
cut away.” I heard the sound of the dull blade sawing back and forth through my
skin.” After undergoing the practice of female circumcision De Bertonano
Quotes, “She saw a stack of thorns.” She used these to puncture holes in my skin,
then poked a strong white thread through the holes to sew me up . . . The only
opening left urine and the menstrual blood was a minuscule hole the diameter of
a matchstick The brilliant strategy ensured that I could never have sex until I
was married, and my husband would be guaranteed a virgin.” Describing
the disturbing story of Waris Dirie a
female supermodel from Somalia who underwent female genital mutilation.
The
author Teresa Burney in her article “Giving Treatment, but not stirring Shame,”
points that most circumcised girls can go through psychological issues that
affect them all throughout their life causing them post-traumatic stress. Psychological
problems may occur for the pain these women undergo leading to anxiety
problems, and Trauma making this a day that scars them with overwhelming
feeling of pain and harm felt by the trauma and scared tissue women remain with
for the rest of their lives. The author Hamm, Lisa M. states women suffer from suicidal
depression after the mutilation. Hamm
quotes “It’s like being crippled, that’s it, the rest of your life, crippled,
that section of your body.” Hamm says female circumcision is
described by the Somalian as the day girls become women and it supposed to be
an important event for girls to endure. Moreover, after girls experience this
horrified ritual they are given many gifts and devotion. Imagine the feeling of
agony for the rest of your life. The complications these women have to go through
are unnecessary.
De
Bertonano says although, the ritual has been banned in many parts of Africa in
Somalia it still occurs to be a standard. Moreover, the laws against this
practice are still unethical. Some families in Africa are being aware of the
harm female circumcision causes and are trying to stop this tradition by not
letting their girls endure in circumcision. Trying to stop this procedure has
become ignored by the Somalia people. Uzoamaka Ajah author of, “Female Genital
Mutilation, Inhumanity Against Women” states, “The fight against female genital mutation should not be seen as a fight for the women alone, it is about time
the men came out and support this fight against humanity and help protect the
girl child from the violation of their right.” Moreover, it is our responsibility
to work together and help the cause against the banning of female Genital
Mutilation.
Furthermore, educating the health
risks of female circumcision to the women in Africa may diminish the practice
from being done. We can all help stop this issue that is changing and harming
the lives of these women worldwide by talking about this issue and the affects
it causes on young Somalia Women. I believe strongly ending Female Circumcision
as a whole.
Although, this is a
ritual to Somalia cultures and there are reasons why Somalia families believe
this tradition should be done it is manipulating women with health issues all
throughout their life, followed by mental matters it is also causing the death of
many girls in Somalia, Africa. Additionally to making the practice illegal
families are ignoring the laws and performing female circumcision. In
conclusion, female genital mutilation should not be done and together we can
stop everyday women from suffering this disturbing tradition.
This demonstrates the three types of Genital Female Mutilation. Somalian women undergo type three.
http://myworld-nanamips.blogspot.com/2010/04/fgm-warning-explicit-graphic.html
A Cutting Tradition by Sara Corbett
In
the Article “A Cutting Tradition” by the author Sara Corbett girls in Bandung,
Indonesia are brought into small prayer centers or classrooms to undergo the
procedure of female circumcision. Girls as young as the age of five are taken
by their mothers with a group of women where they go through the process of the
cutting of their genital areas. This is held every spring in Indonesia
sponsored by a Assalaam Foundation. This tradition happens to young girls
usually before they get to the age of fourteen. After the cutting procedure
they are offered a small snack. The reason why girls are sent to get this
procedure done as the author Sara Corbett describes is to make the women be
more beautiful to their husbands, and a balance in her psychology. Corbett mentions
this issue has affected 140 million women and girls around the world, and a
research of families in Indonesia proves that 96% of the families have stated
they make their girls go through this process of Female Circumcison.
Work Cited
Ajah, Uzoamaka. “Female Genital Mutilation, Inhumanity against Women” LexisNexis.com, Leadership (Abuja), 29 October, 2012
Burney, Teresa. “Giving Treatment, but not stirring Shame” LexisNexis.com, The New York times, 6 June 2004. Web 14 Feb 2013
Corbett, Sara. “A Cutting Tradition” LexisNexis.com, The New York Times, 20 January 2008. Web 14 Feb 2013
De Bertonano, Helena. “Desert Flower speaks out: Nomad supermodel from Somalia campaigns against female circumcision” Proquest.com, The Vancouver Sun, June 2002. Web 14 Feb 2013
Hamm, Lisa M. “Somali Women reveals ordeal circumcision” Proquest.com, Sentinel, 14 Nov 1996. Web 14 2013
Ramsey, Nancy.” In Africa, Girls Fight a Painful Tradition” LexisNexis.com, The New York Times, 3 January 2004. Web 14 Feb 2013
Taylor, Diane. “Women: ‘I want to help other girls” LexisNexis.com, The Guardian (London), 22 January 2013. Web 14 Feb 2013
Un Integrated Regional Information Networks. “Somalia New Constitution Bans Mutilating Girls” LexisNexis.com, Africa News, 13 August, 2012. Web 14 2013
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