India's Dark Secret - Female Genital Mutilation


Posted On : April 20, 2017
Listen to this article

Table of Contents

FGC is sometimes called “female genital mutilation.” People who practice FGC may call it “female circumcision.” This practice is mostly carried out by traditional circumcisers, who often play other central roles in communities, such as attending childbirths. However, more than 18% of all FGM is performed by health care providers, and the trend towards medicalization is increasing.   Female genital Mutilation (FGM) comprises all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.   The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations (UN) define FGC as “any partial or total removal of the external female genitilia or any other injury of the female genital organs for non medical reasons.” The United States also uses its definition in its efforts to end the practice. The practice is illegal in the UK.   FGM is recognized internationally as a violation of the human rights of girls and women. It reflects deep-rooted inequality between the sexes, constitutes an extreme form of discrimination against women. It is nearly always carried out on minors and is a violation of the rights of children. The practice also violates a person’s right 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.   FGM Practice in India:   The Cruel practice of female genitial cutting or female genitial mutilation (FGM) is not happening only in far away Africa. It’s not just practiced in tribal societies. Young girls aged six and seven are regularly being cut right here, in India. Mumbai abounds with untrained midwives who continue to scar young girls from the Bohra community, a Shia sub sect. For long, FGM or Khatna as the Bohras call it remained a well-kept secret, a taboo, a subject never to be discussed. But now a few women – Victims at the hands of the Bohra tradition – are choosing to speak out and create awareness.  Female genital Mutilation (FGM) comprises all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations (UN) define FGC as “any partial or total removal of the external female genitilia or any other injury of the female genital organs for non medical reasons.” The United States also uses its definition in its efforts to end the practice. The practice is illegal in the UK. FGC is sometimes called “female genital mutilation.” People who practice FGC may call it “female circumcision.” This practice is mostly carried out by traditional circumcisers, who often play other central roles in communities, such as attending childbirths. However, more than 18% of all FGM is performed by health care providers, and the trend towards medicalization is increasing. FGM is recognized internationally as a violation of the human rights of girls and women. It reflects deep-rooted inequality between the sexes, constitutes an extreme form of discrimination against women. It is nearly always carried out on minors and is a violation of the rights of children. The practice also violates a person’s right 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.   PROCEDURES: Female genital mutilation is classified into four major types.
  1. Clitoridectomy: partial or total removed of the clitoris (a small, sensitive and erectile part of the female genitals) and, in very rare cases, only the prepuce (the fold of skin surrounding the clitoris)
  2. Excision: partial or total removed of the clitoris and the labia minora, with or without excision of the labia majora (the labia are “the lips” that surround the vagina)
  3. Infibulation: narrowing of the vaginal opening through the creation of a covering seal. The seal is formed by cutting and repositioning the inner, or outer, labia, with or without removal of the clitoris.
  4. Other: all other harmful procedures to the female genitalia for non-medical purposes, e.g. pricking, piercing, incising, scraping, and cauterizing the genital area.
  CULTURAL, RELIGIOUS AND SOCIAL CAUSES: The causes of Female Genital Mutilation include a mix of cultural, religious and social factors within families and social communities.
  • Where FGM is a social convention, the social pressure to conform to what others do and have been doing is a strong motivation to perpetuate the practice.
  • FGM is often considered a necessary part of raising a girl properly, and a way to prepare her for adulthood and marriage.
  • FGM is often motivated by beliefs about what is considered proper sexual behavior, linking procedures to premarital virginity and marital fidelity. FGM is in many communities believed to reduce a woman’s libido and therefore believed to help her resist “illicit” sexual acts. When a vaginal opening is covered or narrowed, the fear of the pain of opening it, and the fear that this will be found out, is expected to further discourage “illicit” sexual intercourse among women with this type of FGM.
  • FGM is associated with cultural ideals of feminist and modesty, which include the notion that girls are “clean” and “beautiful” after removal of parts that are considered “male” or “unclean”.
  • Though no religious scripts prescribe the practice, practitioners often believe the practice has religious support.
  • In some societies, FGM is practiced by new groups when they move into areas where the local population practices FGM.
  COMPLICATIONS: This procedure has many complications, including sepsis and death. Procedure-related mortality has been estimated at 2.3% in one country in Africa. As well as the immediate risk, long-term complications may include:
  • Extensive damage of the external reproductive system.
  • Uterine, vaginal and pelvic infections.
  • Cysts and neuromas.
  • Increased risk of vesico-vaginal fistula.
  • Complications in pregnancy and childbirth.
  • Psychological damage.
  • Sexual dysfunction.
  • Difficulties in menstruation.
In women with type 3 mutilation, the introitus may be too narrow for childbirth, and the tissues that have sealed together need to separate. This is termed deinfibulation.   COMPLICATIONS ARE COMMON AND CAN LEAD TO DEATH The highest maternal and infant mortality rates are in FGM-practicing regions. The actual number of girls who die as a result of FGM is not known. However, in areas in the Sudan where antibiotics are not available, it is estimated that one-third of the girls undergoing FGM will die. Conservative estimates suggest that more than one million in Centrafrican Republic (CAR) estimates suggest that more than one million women in Centrafrican Republic (CAR), Egypt, and Eritrea, the only countries where such data is available, experienced adverse health effects from FGM. One quarter of women in CAR and 1/5 of women in Eritrea reported FGM-related complications. Where medical facilities are ill-equipped, emergencies arising from all the practice cannot be treated. Thus, a child who develops uncontrolled bleeding or infection after FGM may die within hours.   IMMEDIATE PHYSICAL PROBLEMS:
  • Intense pain and/or hemorrhage that can lead to shock during and after the procedure. A 1985 Sierra Leone study found that nearly 97 percent of the 269 women interviewed experienced intense pain during and after FGM, and more than 13 percent went into shock.
  • Hemorrhage can also lead to anemia.
  • Wound infection, including tetanus. A survey in a clinic outside of Freetown (Sierra Leone) showed that of 100 girls who had FGM, 1 died and 12 required hospitalization. Of the 12 hospitalized 10 suffered from bleeding and 5 from tetanus. Tetanus is fatal in 50 to 60 percent of all cases.
  • Damage to adjoining organs from the use of blunt instruments by unskilled operators. According to a 1993 nationwide study in the Sudan, this occurs approximately 0.3 percent of the time.
  • Urine retention from swelling and/or blockage of the urethra.
  COMPLICATIONS OFTEN NEED MEDICAL ATTENTION:
  • According to a study conducted in a small rural village in Sierra Leone, 83 percent of women who had undergone FGM would require medical attention at some point in their lives for a condition resulting from the procedure.
  • A study of one hospital in Alexandria (Egypt) found that 1.967 hospital days were used in one year to treat FGM-related ailments.
  • According to a survey of 55 health providers in the Nyamira District of Kenya, almost half encountered women with chronic FGM-related complications while over half treated recent FGM-related recent FGM-related complications.
  FGM MAY IMPEDE WOMEN’S SEXUALTIY:
  • Cultural values and ambiguities make women’s sexuality very complex. This is also an area that has not been widely studied. Although it is difficult to verify reports of women’s sexual experiences, physical complications from FGM often impede sexual enjoyment. FGM destroys much or all of the vulva nerve endings, delaying arousal or impairing orgasm. Lacerations, loss of elasticity, or development of neuroma (a tumor or mass growing from a nerve) can lead to painful intercourse. In a 1993 Sudanese study, 5.5 percent of women interviewed experienced painful intercourse while 9.3 percent of them reported having difficult or impossible penetration.
In 1981, 1, 545 Sudanese women who had gone the operation were interviewed. Fifty percent of them said that they did not enjoy sex at all and only accepted it as a duty.   More Women Are Using Medical Staff, But Traditional Practitioners Are Still Active: FGM is still predominantly by “traditional” female circumcisers (91 percent in Cote d’Ivoire, 95 percent in Eritrea, and 88 percent in Mali). Typically, it is performed with sharp stones, broken glasses, scissors, or unsterilized razor blades without anesthesia. Health Providers (such as doctors, nurses, and midwives) are increasingly performing FGM. In Egypt, girls are three times more likely (54.8 percent) to have FGM done by health providers than did their mothers (17.3 percent). Although this trend might reduce the pain and/or risk of infection, it will not prevent the other complications.   WHY IS FGC DONE? Different communities and cultures have different reasons for practicing FGC; the reasons are often complex and can change over time. Social acceptability is the most common reason. Families often feel pressure to have their daughter cut so she is accepted by their community. Other reasons may include:
  • To help ensure a woman remains a virgin until marriage
  • Hygiene: Some communities believe that the external female genitals that are cut (the clitoris or the labia or both) are unclean.
  • Rite of passage: In some countries, FGC is a part of the ritual that a girl goes through to be considered a woman.
  • Condition of marriage: In some countries, a girl or woman is cut in order to suitable for marriage.
  • Belief that FGC increases sexual pleasure for the man
Religious duty, although no religion’s holy texts require FGC.   REASONS FOR SUPPORTING FGM VARY: Reasons for supporting FHM include the beliefs that it is a “good tradition”, a religious requirement(S), or a necessary rite of passage to womanhood; that it ensures cleanliness or better marriage prospects , prevents promiscuity and excessive clitorial growth, preserves virginity, enhances male sexuality, and facilitates childbirth by widening the birth canal.
  • Until the 1950’s FGM performed in England and the United States as a common “treatment” for lesbianism, masturbation, hysteria, epilepsy, and other so-called “female deviances”.
  • Religious affiliation can affect approval levels. A study in Kenya and Sierra Leone revealed that most Protestants opposed FGM while a majority of Catholics and Muslims supported its continuation.
  • There is direct correlation between women’s attitude towards FGM and her place of residence, educational background, and work status. DHS data indicate that urban women are likely than their rural counterparts to support FGN. Employed women are less likely to support it. Women with little or no education are more likely to support the practice that those with a secondary or higher education. Data from the 1989 Sudanese survey (of women 15 to 49 years old) show that 80 percent of woman with no education or only primary education support FGM, compared to only 55 percent of those with senior secondary or higher schooling. A woman’s age does not seem to influence support.
  • Most women who have had the FGM procedure are strongly in favor of FGM for their daughters. In Egypt, 50 percent of the women surveyed reported that they had at least one daughter who had gone through the procedure, while 38 percent intended to do so in the future. In addition, most of these women want their daughters to undergo the same type of procedure they had.
  • Most women who favor ending the practice also feel they do not have enough information to convince men of the harmful effects of FGM. Men help continue the practice by refusing to marry women who have not had FGM or by allowing for their daughter’s procedures. DHS data indicate that, in general, women believe that their husband’s attitudes toward FGM are similar to their own. However, recent studies in Eritrea and Sudan found that men may actually be less supportive and more indifferent than women toward this practice.
WHAT CAN BE DONE TO END FGC? Governments and groups in the United States and around the world are working together to end the practice of FGC. Some approaches include: Community involvement: Successful efforts to end or reduce the practice of FGC have the following in common:
  • Individuals from the community become trainers and educators. Many programs use respected local women to teach other girls and women in their communities about the harmful effects of FGC.
  • Efforts focus on community needs and strengths, and recommendations from community members.
The programs and the leaders of organizations respect the traditions and social structure of the community. Program participants earn community trust so that sensitive issues like FGC can be discussed honestly.
  • Culturally sensitive programs include the use of theater, songs, and games to educate families about FGC.
  • Passing laws against FGC: FGC is illegal in most countries around the world, including many of the countries in which FGC is regularly practiced.
Recent research shows that these efforts may be working. In some regions, education is changing attitudes and influencing a family’s choice to have FGC performed. For example, in Egypt, 96% of women 45 to 49 years old were cut, but the percentage dropped to 81% among women 15 to 19 years old. MANAGEMENT OF WOMEN: Multidisciplinary care is needed for these women. Psychological and educational input for these women is very important. Women can have negative psychosexual and health consequences that need specific care. Antenatally, women who have been cut should be assessed and, if necessary, offered deinfibulation before the birth. Women (and men) need to be supported to ensure that they realize that the practice is a crime, and that their daughters should not suffer. More medical knowledge of FGM is needed, particularly pediatric, and understanding of FGM classification is important. Examinations of women and girls should be planned carefully, with referral to a specialist FGM clinic if possible. The Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003 came into force on 3 March 2004. It replaced the 1985 Act and makes it an offence for the first time for UK nationals or permanent UK residents to carry out of FGM abroad, even in countries where the practice is legal. A person found guilty of an offence under the Act is liable for a prison sentence of up to 14 years. FGM is an abuse of human rights and is also a child protection issue. HUMAN RIGHT EFFORTS FGM violates human rights conventions that protect women and children from cruelty and violence and ensure them "bodily integrity" and access to health care, education, and self-realization. Some of these conventions are:
  • The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948)
  • The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1959)
  • The African Charter on Rights and Welfare of the Child (1990)
  • The United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (1992)
  • The United Nations Declaration on Violence Against Women (1993)
  • The World Conference on Human Rights, Declaration and Programmed of Action, Vienna (1993)
  • The United Nations High Commission on Refugees, Statement against Gender-Based Violence (1996).       
FGM eradication has also been included in resolutions and action plans at various international conferences, including the 1995 International Conference on Population and Development and the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women. FGM is recognized as a human rights violation in the U.S. State Department's annual country reports.  
Written By:
Ravali Reddy

Ravali Reddy


Recommended Free Legal Advices
question markProperty case 6 Response(s)
Approach High Court for early disposal and to get your choice of property
question markAm I going to jail 1 Response(s)
Dear client, it is unadvisable to surf on the dark web. Please wait until demon slayer is released in india, try watching other anime maybe? And refrain from engaging with child porn content as well.
question markPrivacy - my private conversations and videos 2 Response(s)
Dear Madam, No cause of action arise in your favour since she has not posted the same online. You anticipate that same may be posted on public portals. So you may go to the Police Station and take their help to get the said videos deleted from the laptop/mobile of your female common friend.
question markNRI Child Status in India 2 Response(s)
As per law father is the natural guardian of child above 5 years. Fluency in English does not mean that person is intelligent and sane. Many people like from china, Japan, USSR, Israel etc uses translator to communicate. 1. Since child is born in India hence till 18 he can have be Indian citizen or be Australian citizen and on attaining 18 child shall have option to choose citizenship of either country. 2. Yes. 3. Yes. On attaining 18 years he shall have option to choose citizenship of either country. 4. You cannot stop a person from filing case but you have right to defend and also to take precautions to save yourself from such frivolous cases.
question markFemale security guards working till late night 2 Response(s)
Dear Client, It's PSARA Act which they referred about the working of female security guards. Read PSARA Act, so that you can get your clearance. Hope, it is helpful