Watching several videos on female genital mutilation, I found the primary reason to have this done to the girls was to “calm” them. This means to ride them of their sexual pleasure so they would not be promiscuous and/or “wait” for the men who went away. If a girl is not circumcised it will cause her not to get married and be casted away.
Many of these cultures continue this practice because it is tradition and because of the false beliefs they have. For instance one woman in Africa said that if the girl did not have this done, her clitoris would go up to her head and come out through the back and kill her, and her family. An Islamic woman said that when the clitoris is removed this will ensure the girl to grow tall and beautiful.
The women claim that this is a passage into woman hood, but how can this be when many of the girls who have this done are as young as two years of age and sometimes younger. The reason to having the girls circumcised at a younger age is because it is cheaper. One of the reporters said, “Think of it as throwing a two year old a party versus a sweet sixteen.”
The reporters asked these woman questions such as if they didn’t think it was cruel, but they seemed to go around it and answer it was not normal not to be circumcised. They also asked about the complications that could arise, however they said for example if a girl bled excessively that meant the girl was a witch.
I completely disagree with this tradition, which is such a cruel and horrendous thing to do. These cultures need to be educated about sexuality and how these beliefs are endangering the life of their child. This is definitely a human rights violation.
There are some steps being taken, which is approaching the “practitioners” and asking them to stop in exchange to educate them so that they will be able to make a living by other means. They are asked to pledge to stop practicing female circumcision and turn in their blades. In addition, there is an organization called Clitoraid, which restores women’s pleasure through an operation that is free. They also are educating people about this practice.
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