How Does Female Genital Mutilation Affect Women?
By Zakia Irfan
Female genital mutilation protects women, solidifying virginity and curbing sexuality. It is a bond that connects women everywhere, future and past, in the shared conquest for revering womanhood as the impeachable purer sex, of both body and soul. I may have just swayed you with such touching words, and if you have been, then the author has demonstrated how easily one can be convinced that female genital mutilation is a worthy rite of passage for coming-of-age girls. The pain they suffer during the procedure is fleeting compared to that of a “sullied” character. But just because something may sound nice does not mean that its true meaning is anything as sweet.
Female genital mutilation is a procedure that is intentionally done to partially or fully remove external female genitalia for an entirely non-medical reason that does not benefit the health of the girl or woman in any manner. The physical reminders of female genital mutilation extend far beyond the scars that are left behind and can include infertility and increased risk of childbirth complications. More possible complications are severe bleeding, problems urinating, cysts, and infections, as well as increased risk of newborn deaths should the women become pregnant later in life.
Female genital mutilation is practiced in the Western, Eastern, and North-Eastern regions of Africa; in the Middle East; and in Asia. More than 200 million girls and women have been subjected to the practice (1). Female genital mutilation remains, in many places, a celebrated and uncontested tradition. However, the physical and emotional trauma victims experience often goes unnoticed and can manifest as a lifetime of shame, confusion, and hurt.
The circumcisers themselves are traditional practitioners, birth attendants, older women, and trained caregivers, such as community health extension workers, nurses, midwives, and doctors. Medicalized female genital mutilation is believed to have a quicker recovery time than traditionally performed female genital mutilation, hiding behind the legitimacy of clinics, hospitals, and other healthcare settings (2).
Healthcare providers claim to care for their patients and promote health to the utmost of their ability, but when the definition of healthcare is skewed, and you cannot trust a doctor to hold the knife, then who should the woman turn to? My mistake––not woman––since female genital mutilation is largely carried out on females between infancy and 15 years of age.
Valerie Lomari, a female genital mutilation survivor who shared her story with BBC News and is on a mission to eradicate the practice, recounts that she was 16 years old when she was mutilated, having been told––lied to––that she was simply taking a holiday (3). If female genital mutilation is protection, then why the deception? Globally, the progression of women’s healthcare will remain stagnant while society remains divided on the continuation or cessation of female genital mutilation.
Female genital mutilation is a deeply entrenched practice with profound physical, psychological, and social consequences. While cultural traditions and social norms underlie its continuation, it represents a severe violation of human rights, particularly those of women and girls. Eliminating this practice requires education, community engagement, legislative action, and the empowerment of women and girls worldwide.
References
Awolola, O.; Ilupeju, N. Female Genital Mutilation; Culture, Religion, and Medicalization, Where Do We Direct Our Searchlights for It Eradication: Nigeria as a Case Study. Tzu Chi Medical Journal 2019, 31 (1), 1. DOI:10.4103/tcmj.tcmj_127_18.
The Lancet. Medicalised Female Genital Mutilation Must Stop. The Lancet 2024, 404 (10451), 405. DOI:10.1016/s0140-6736(24)01592-7.
FGM Survivor Refuses to Let Mutilation Define Her Life. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-essex-68607169 (accessed 2024-12-26).
Zakia Irfan
is a second-year student at McGill University majoring in Microbiology and Immunology. This is her first opinion piece for McGill Perspectives on Global Health.