Mutilating Africa

Devon Pon

Mutilating Africa

140 million.  140 million young girls and women today have been subjected to the brutality and the harsh consequences of female genital mutilation (UNFPA).  These 140 million have had to suffer the repercussions of the operation that has been outlawed in the majority of the world as it is seen as a violation of one’s inherent human rights.  The ramifications can be severe, at best, a young woman mutilated for life often times suffering from numerous health complications, and at worst, death.

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is the practice of partially, or totally, removing the external genitalia of girls and young women for non-medical purposes.  An estimated 140 million young girls have undergone FGM, about 92 million of these young girls are living in Africa (World Health Organization).  FGM is an issue that is known internationally as a violation of human rights.  It is a reflection of  deeply-rooted gender inequalities in one’s culture, as it establishes a hazardous and severe form of discrimination against women. Of female genital mutilation, the WHO says, "It is nearly always carried out on minors and is a violation of the rights of children. The practice also violates a person's rights to health, security and physical integrity, the right to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and the right to life when the procedure results in death."

Female genital mutilation is a custom that is carried out for a variety of reasons, many of which stem from the sexism that is embedded deep into traditional African culture.  In Africa, men lead lives of more opportunity and advantages than women.  This drastic difference between the roles of men and women has lead to the acceptance of female genital mutilation throughout Africa.  In many areas, FGM is not questioned as it is a custom that has been fixed into a culture.  Many believe that it is a step towards womanhood and prepares girls for marriage.  Other times, those who have their daughters cut, are simply following the social norm as they are afraid of being rejected by their community.  In certain areas of Africa, female genitalia is seen as unsightly and, following superstitious beliefs and instructions,  people are prompted to cut their young daughters.  One of the main motivators of FGM, is the removal of pleasure from sexual activities, ensuring a girl’s virginity until marriage and her fidelity while married (JSTOR). These various reasons lead to the perpetuation of an ancient harmful tradition.

The consequences and repercussions of female genital mutilation can be severely damaging to one’s mental and physical states.  In a best case scenario, a young girl is left mutilated for the rest of her life, but most often one is not so fortunate.  The list of detrimental effects is seemingly never ending while the pros are non-existent as FGM has no health benefits.  Female genital cutting can be extremely dangerous.  It can lead to blood loss and infections, such as tetanus, the spread of HIV through unsanitized surgical tools (often times a ceremonial knife or a dirty razor) that have been used on multiple girls, it can cause issues with menstruating and childbirth, and in the most dire of circumstances, it can result in death (JSTOR).  However, the outcome of the surgery all depends on the medical practitioner and the extent of their education on how to perform operations.  Possibly more damaging than the physical effect, is the psychological impact.  Many girls who have undergone FGM have chronic emotional issues such as distrust towards others, anxiety, and stress. The effects of FGM are extremely harmful to one’s well-being.

While this is a very old tradition, with the newfound knowledge that we have collected through modern medicine and psychology, we now have a more informed perspective on old practices.  With these contemporary understandings of the physical and emotional impacts of FGM, perhaps this traditional custom demands reexamination.  Every one of the 140 million girls who have been subjected to FGM are not just contributions to a statistic, each has her own unique personal story about how she has been permanently affected by this ancient tradition.  So, what role should we, as first-world informed citizens, play in addressing the issue of female genital mutilation for future generations?

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