FGM Is An Act Of Violence Against Women

1046 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Female genital mutilation ethical dilemmas

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is the intentional removal of partial or total external female genitalia (WHO, 2014). FGM is commonly inflicted on young girls between the ages of infancy and 15; however, adult women are also at risk of FGM (WHO, 2014). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 125 million girls and women have been inflicted by FGM in 29 countries in Africa and the Middle East (2014). It is estimated that annually, 2 million girls and women are at risk of being subjected to FGM (Onuh,Igberase, Joaness, Okogenin, Sylvanus, et al., 2006). FGM is most concentrated in Africa and the Middle Eastern countries and practiced for cultural and social reasons. FGM is socially acceptable in these countries, as it is perceived as the proper way to raise a girl, which will prepare her for adulthood and marriage, since it is believed to reduce the woman’s libido; hence prevent the woman from engaging in sexual acts (2014). Culturally, FGM is practiced because it is associated with femininity and modesty, and the woman is then perceived as clean and beautiful (2014). Internationally, FGM is an act of violence against women; it reflects gender inequality related to suppression and subjugation of women, in which denies them of their freedom and liberty (WHO, 2014). The purpose of this paper seeks to educate and bring awareness about FGM and presented in our Global Health class, which will facilitate a platform for exchange in dialogue.
Epidemiology of FGM
The prevalence of FGM is most concentrated in African and Middle Eastern countries. WHO estimates that FGM has been performed on 125 million girls and women in Africa and the Middle East (2014). The United Nations for Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported that FGM i...

... middle of paper ...

...d psychological complications of FGM, many of these communities are more concerned with the cultural and social norms of FGM. Organizations around the world have made it a priority to address the issue of FGM globally, WHO has made great strides in collecting data and monitoring the mortality and morbidity of women, children, and infants afflicted by FGM, which has allowed international discussion and heightened scrutiny among countries practicing FGM. In addition, UNFPA and UNICEF have helped to decrease FGM by promoting collective abandonment of FGM on a local level in African countries. The future of decreasing FGM is promising with the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme; however, it seems that without proper education of young females in these countries, FGM will perpetuate as it has for the generations that came before them and the future generations to come.

Show More
Related

  • Rape - The Plague of the Modern World

    2187 Words  | 5 Pages

    “Before the rape I felt good. My life was in order. I was getting ready to get married. Afterward everything changed. I kind of lost who I was as a person…

    Read More

  • Analyzing Edgerton's Argument

    1094 Words  | 3 Pages

    Female genital mutilation is mostly practiced in Islamic and African cultures, claiming young girls as t...

    Read More

  • Rape In The Fields Analysis

    820 Words  | 2 Pages

    workers and the position of supervisor is instantly given an incredible amount more power taking

    Read More

  • Female Genital Mutilation Is a Violation of the Rights of the Girl Child

    666 Words  | 2 Pages

    Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) has had different definitions in the ‘Scientific World’ and the world of those who embrace the act. According to the definition of the World Health Organization (WHO), Female Genital Mutilation is the act of removing the external parts of the female genitalia, partially or totally for non-medical reasons (WHO) whereas the practitioners see it as the cutting of “extra skin tags” of the female’s reproductive organ. Various reasons have been put forward to support it, ranging from social, cultural and religious reasons, mainly in the so called Islamic communities. FGM is a violation of the rights of the girl child, causes health implications and drastically disempowers the sexuality of women.

    Read More

  • Woman Who Commit Sexual Crime

    320 Words  | 1 Pages

    When a woman commits a sexual offense, what should we do? Sexual offense committed by a female is as disgusting, repulsive and horrible as when committed by a man. When children are victims of sexual offense, it is the worst possible crime, because they cannot defend themselves. Female sex offenders should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and programs should be made to monitor and rehabilitate them.

    Read More

  • Female Genital Circumcision Essay

    2844 Words  | 6 Pages

    Female genital circumcision (FGC) is a cultural ritual that is performed to the vast majority of women within the countries of Sudan, Kenya, Mali, Benin, Togo, and parts of the Middle East. Female genital circumcision also termed as female genital mutilation is used based upon a person’s beliefs. This ritual has been highly controversial for many years especially in the western society, due to the health risks that women may have to go through. Doctor Gruenbaum, and anthropologist who studied FGC in Sudan, has researched this topic and believes that outsiders need to have an open mind about diverse cultures. I believe that this procedure should not be illegal; however, education about the risks of the procedure should be enforced in the countries where this takes place, in order to create a safer environment for the ritual to be performed in. The goal of this essay is to know what Female Genital Circumcision is and different types of FGC and why this is performed and why it is important for outsiders to not have ethnocentric views when dealing with this. This essay also deals with why it should be medicalized instead of enforcing laws to ban this years long tradition in all African countries. When challenging female genital circumcision, we are also challenging the people who perform this procedure, their culture, values and beliefs.

    Read More

  • Essay On Geniital Mutilation

    1241 Words  | 3 Pages

    Female genital mutilation is a heartbreaking practice which violates basic human rights and must be banned worldwide. FGM it's a operation on which the clitoris and genitals are completely cut off. Referring to (www.mtholyoke.edu) The cause of this procedure may fluctuate it can be either for family honor, virginity protection, religion, or excessive sexual satisfaction for their partner. Also, this is done by traditional midwives with no medical experience, no anesthesia, or any drug. The tools used for this practice are pieces of glass, knives, scissors, razors and other sharp basics.

    Read More

  • Female Genital Mutilation

    1710 Words  | 4 Pages

    Female Genital Mutilation is believed to have started in Egypt 2,000 years ago and spread from there. Only a few years ago, FGM was considered a cultural tradition, but now the United Nations has labeled it as a violation of human rights. Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, and the United States has declared Female Genital Mutilation grounds for seeking asylum and is a punishable offense (1).

    Read More

  • Female Genital Mutilation: A Violation of Human Rights

    3259 Words  | 7 Pages

    Female genital mutilation (FGM) is an ancient traditional non-therapeutic surgical procedure that involves total or partial removal of the external parts of female genitalia. This paper aimed to define and classify FGM, identifies the prevalence, describes reasons for performing the practice, and concentrates on the problems associated to this practice with regard to women’s health, religious beliefs, and socio-cultural, behavioral and moral consequences. Researches and survey reports that the global actions have been taken to reduce or abolish the prevalence of the practice will be assessed.

    Read More

  • Female Circumcision As An Example Of Ethnocentrism In Western Culture

    935 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many feminists in the Western Culture have this ethnocentric idea that female circumcision is “female mutilation” portraying it as a “barbaric tradition” and “violence against women” (“Yes to Female Circumcision?”). According to Fuambai Ahmadu, a Sierra Leonean-American anthropologist, female circumcision is an initiation that symbolizes matriarchal power. The practice is “synonymous with women’s power, their political, economic, reproductive, and ritual spheres of influence” (Ahmadu, pg. 14). By having no regards to the cultures and traditions of these small-scale societies, we are invalidating their beliefs and presenting ethnocentric

    Read More

  • Sexual Victimization of Women

    1171 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to a statement addressing the sexual victimization of college women The Crime and Victimization in America states that, “ One out of four women will be sexually assaulted on a college campus.” This disturbing fact has not minimized throughout the years, instead it is continuing to worsen throughout college campuses. Sexual assault is not an act to be taken lightly. Society must stop pinpointing the individuals who commit these crimes one by one, but rather look at the problem as a whole and begin to understand the main cause of sexual assault and possible methods to reduce these acts of sexual coercion.

    Read More

  • Warrior Marks

    1027 Words  | 3 Pages

    Female genital mutilation, also known as female circumcision, is a practice that involves the removal of part or all of the female external genitalia. It occurs throughout the world, but most commonly in Africa where they say that it is a tradition and social custom to keep a young girl pure and a married woman faithful. But to some Westerners, the practice is viewed as being primitive and barbaric. We react with disgust and find it nearly incomprehensible that female genital mutilation can occur in the world today

    Read More

  • Rape and Sexual Violence

    957 Words  | 2 Pages

    Rape and sexual violence is a very serious problem that affects millions of people each year. Rape is someone taking advantage of another person sexually. Sexual assault can be verbal, physical, visual, or anything that forces a person to join in unwanted sexual contact or attention. ("Sexual Assault.") Rape is one of the most underreported crimes. In 2002, only thirty-nine percent of rapes and sexual assaults were reported to law officials. ("Sexual Violence: Fact Sheet.") Victims sometimes do not report that they have raped because of shame or feeling that it was their fault. It is never the victim's fault. "Victim blaming" is holding the victim of a crime to be in a whole or in partly responsible for what had happened to them. Most victims believe this. ("Myths and Facts about Sexual Violence.")

    Read More

  • essay

    1246 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Searching for “Voices”: Feminism, Anthropology, and the Global Debates over Female Genital Operations, Walley discusses the social issues concerning female genital operations as perceived by “westerners”, as well as discusses her ethnographic account of female circumcision. Her main purpose of doing this was to lay the groundwork for “a more productive feminist and anthropological debate” capable of going beyond the binary terms in which female circumcisions are usually discussed. Since female circumcisions are known by a variety of names, such as female genital mutilation and female genital torture, and with her understanding of the negative connotation often associated with those varieties of names, Walley makes the decision to adopt the term female genital operations instead. In 1988, Walley went in the village of KiKhome, in western Kenya as an English teacher and immersed herself in the lives of the people living around the village to better understand the practice of female genital operations as an outsider. One day, some of her students invited her to assist at a female genital operation ceremony. She found out that the participants see circumcision as a rite of passage into adulthood. However, she truly wanted to know the participants’ personal views on the topic rather than the imposed views of their parents and their culture. The four women she interviewed told her that “their custom was good,” and it was something that a person needs to accept with her whole being not to feel the pain. Nevertheless, some of the women told her that they would not want their daughters to undergo circumcision, and that they themselves regretted having done the procedure. Walley finally gave up “searching for real voices,” because what t...

    Read More

  • Rape in Modern India

    2103 Words  | 5 Pages

    For women in India, the last century has marked a great amount of progress, but at times it has been as stubborn as all the centuries before it. Women have been expanding their roles in society, at home, and even politics with female Prime Minster Indira Gandhi. Gender roles are ingrained deeply, however, and that is no more apparent than in the current rape epidemic. Specifically the last 40 years have been some of the most promising for Indian women, but they have also seen an 875% increase in rape cases (Park). The answers to why this is happening, and why it is happening now may open up a much deeper issue. The social climate is changing; a power struggle between genders steadies the quantity of violence against women. Meanwhile, their empowerment to speak out and hold a rapist accountable brings it to the attention of the world. A longstanding injustice that has been occurring right bellow the surface for years may have reached its boiling point.

    Read More

More about FGM Is An Act Of Violence Against Women

Open Document