The History of Female Genital Mutilation and Its Consequences

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Female Genital Mutilation

According to many Americans, female genital mutilation is one of the most hurtful practices ever conducted. During this operation, female genitals are partly or entirely removed with the goal of inhibiting the woman’s sexual feelings. In my opinion, there is no reason for this operation to be happening. This usually occurs before the female experiences puberty (between the ages of four and eight). The female can suffer for days, weeks, or even months at a time. This ritual is widely practiced in many parts of Africa and by migrants from African countries in other parts of the world (Karmaker 20-28). If Americans research and read what people say about this operation, they can understand what these women and girls go through. We can talk to the people who have experienced this process first hand and get them to share their experiences and how life continued after the operation.

The history of female genital mutilation dates back about 2000 years. It is also called female genital cutting or female circumcision. Female genital mutilation is from Egypt and then later spread to East Africa. Female genital mutilation is practiced as a cultural ritual by many ethnic groups in 27 different countries in sub-Saharan and Northeast Africa and a few in Asia, the Middle East and immigrant communities in other places. This operation is usually done using a knife or razor. By 2013, most girls were cut before the age of five. There are many ways that this procedure can go about. They can remove most or majority of the clitoris hood and the same go with the inner and outer lips. Also the World Health Organization group has type I and II. Type I is divided up into two different sections. Type I(a) is basically the rem...

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... conclusion, I think that we as Americans should listen to what the people who have went through this operation and understand what they went through instead of judging them. I think that we sat down and listen then we would get the real reasons of why this happened to some many young girls at really young ages. We also have to understand that this operation had a meaning for some of the men and women who make their little girls have this operation at a very young age. Some of them wanted to show their honor and respect for their native groups and/ or countries.

Work Cited

Peltzer, Karl, and Supa Pengpid. "Female Genital Mutilation And Intimate Partner Violence In The Ivory Coast." BMC Women's Health 14.1 (2014): 1-9. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 Apr. 2014

"What Is FGM?" Desert Flower Foundation RSS. Desert Flower Foundation, 2014. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.

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