Female Genital Mutilation
“I went back to the rock (where FGM took place) to see if I could find my sex but it was gone eaten by the birds.” Waris Dirie recounting her ordeal of FGM
Courtesy of- Aljazeera Journalism Review
The term for the barbaric custom based on a faulty belief that if a Girl generally between the ages of newborn to roughly 18-years-of-age having their genitals ritualistically sliced off (no anesthetic, no numbing agent, no anything) while fully conscious is inflicted upon over 200,000 Million Girls World Wide- this will in theory suppress the supposed inherent “Sexual Impurity” of Girls as well as Women. The practice stems from an entrenched indoctrination within not only Middle Eastern Societies but numerous parts of Africa as well as parts of Asia and within societies such as Colombia typically anywhere Islam is at the epicenter of religious faith (albeit the practice is not mentioned in the Quran anywhere.)
Courtesy of- UNICEF
Courtesy of- World Health Organization
Courtesy of- United Nations
This practice of cutting not only claims the lives of many young Girls who are “cut” as it is referred to but furthermore it is the cause for life long effects. They can include Maternal Mortality as well as Infant Mortality because the baby can not make it’s way through the inevitable scar tissue (This is due to the Mother being cut with generally a razor blade then sewn shut as a child leaving behind only an opening the size of a match head) ,Incontinence, Urine Retention, Cysts, Infections, Painful Menstruation, problems during menstruation as the opening left behind is not wide enough to allow Menstruation to pass through, and more. This practice albeit has been fought against on a Macro scale the past 20 to 30 years forging into the banning of the practice in many regions however it has all but been eliminated completely. It is worth mentioning some practicing families who live in regions such as the Americas, the UK, or anywhere where the practice is not only taboo but outlawed will in fact actually send their young daughters on “vacation” to their lands of origin where the ritual may still be legal OR the laws forbidding cutting are not enforced enough in order to have the ritual carried out — OR they locate a practitioner of FGM in the communities in order to carry it out.
Courtesy of- VICE
Courtesy of- VICE News
One of the first Women (whom is a survivor) to bring this horrendous practice to the attention of the public is named ,Waris Dirie, a supermodel and activist. Her autobiography turned 2009 film ,Desert Flower, spoke forthrightly on this. Another is the well known activist and the Rector of University of Andrews ,Leyla Hussein. An Elder by the name of ,Edna Adan, can not go without mention because she is not only a medical pioneer in the country of Somalia in order to revolutionize the Mother and Infant Mortality rate of Somali Women but also a survivor of the practice herself. Her hospital based in Somalia has saved the lives of over 75% of the national average during childbirth. Her work has been paramount in transforming not only the narrative around Maternal Mortality but also the education of Female Genital Mutilation. The name of the hospital is appropriately enough Edna Adan Hospital.
Here are the links to the work and activism of these extraordinary Women.
Edna Adan Hospital Foundation: https://ednahospitalfoundation.org/
Desert Flower Foundation: https://www.desertflowerfoundation.org/en/waris-dirie.html
AHA Foundation: https://www.theahafoundation.org/
Daughters of Eve: https://www.thegirlgeneration.org/organisations/daughters-eve
