The Silent Epidemic Killing Off Women
Trigger warning: the following article will contain themes that the reader may find unsettling. Read on your own discretion.
For decades, gender equality has improved drastically in most parts of the world. Although improvements can be made, women now have the right to work, are protected by labour laws, have the right to choose who to marry or even if they want to in most countries. Women have a much better status in society than say, 100, or even 30 years ago. However most of the focus on gender equality is on first world countries, after all these are the countries that pioneered the gender equality movement.
Feminism can be divided into different waves, the first wave which took place in the 1830s to 1900s saw women fighting for rights to work and to own property. The second wave which occurred in the 1960s and lasted till the 1980s focused on equality in the workplace, rights to reproduction and sexuality. The 1990s to early 2000s saw the third wave of feminism, which started to branch off to different aspects of gender equality. Now, the fourth wave where there has been a rise in so-called ‘femi-nazis’ and ‘social justice warriors’ whose ideas of gender equality often tread on the border of radicalism.
In the age where a woman who poured bleach on the crotches of men who man spread in the name of feminism made the headlines, it’s easy to paint the modern gender equality movement as radical or even laughable, but many often forget the women and girls who are in dire need of this movement.
February 6th is the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, a day the United Nations General Assembly designated to raise awareness about the issues of female genital mutilation and to eliminate this practice. A practice that has been carried out on 200 million girls around the world and where an additional 3 million girls (most of the age below 15) are at risk of being cut.
What is female genital mutilation?
Female genital mutilation, as it’s name suggests, is the mutilation of female genitals. It is a procedure that involves the partial or total removal of a female’s external genitalia, or causing injury to the external genitalia for non-medical purposes. It can be carried out in different ways, some include stapling the two sides of the vulva, leaving only a small hole for urination and menstruation. These procedures are done without anaesthesia even though it is extremely painful, to the point of passing out. More details about the different procedures of FGM are included in the original article from The Guardian, however I would like to warn that these procedures are very cruel and may cause the readers to feel uncomfortable.
FGM is usually carried out on young girls, the age ranging from infants to age 15 before puberty starts. Mutilating the genitals of girls and young women not only bring absolutely no health benefits, they also cause a plethora of effects that impacts the girl’s health. These include infections in the urinary tract and vagina, chronic pain, infertility and hemorrhaging. Some girls may even die from the blood loss or infection due to the procedure. Sometimes, surgery is needed to open up or seal the vagina up again later on. Women who have undergone FGM often suffer from severe psychological and emotional consequences.
Why is female genital mutilation carried out?
Like mentioned before, FGM serves no medical purposes, has no health benefits and instead causes lifelong complications. So why is FGM still carried out?
Female genital mutilation is prevalent in mainly African countries such as Sudan, Egypt and Somalia, Middle Eastern countries like Iraq and even in South East Asian countries like Indonesia. In these countries, FGM is perceived as a tradition and is carried out due to religious or cultural reasons. Some cultures view FGM as a rite of passage into adulthood. Girls who have been cut often feel immense pain when having sex and this may extend to masturbation. Hence, FGM is viewed to be beneficial for girls as it will preserve her virginity. This makes the girl more marriageable and it improves the male sexual pleasure.
A study carried out by researchers in Bristol found that in societies where female genital mutilation is prevalent, women who are cut have more babies who survive as compared to women who are not. This could be due to how women who have undergone FGM are perceived as ‘pure’ and have better chances of getting married, and hence having children. Therefore, female genital mutilation also contributes to a woman’s social status.
“I underwent FGM when I was 11 years old. I was told by my grandmother FGM is a requirement for every girl, that it made us pure.”
— Bishara, anti FGM campaigner
What has been done to eliminate this practice?
Female genital mutilation is a tradition that has been carried out for hundreds and even thousands of years. One may wonder if it is really possible to eliminate FGM in 1 generation. Well, the answer is yes, it is possible.
In 1979, WHO (World Health Organisation), UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund) and UNFPA (United Nations Fund for Population Activities) issued a joint statement calling for governments to put an end to this practice. Since then, more than 40 countries have banned the practice of FGM and the percentage of girls who have received genital mutilation dropped from 49% to 34%.
“Since 2008, nearly 10 000 communities in 15 countries, representing about 8 million people, have renounced the practice”
— Dr Diop, FGM expert at UNFPA
In Egypt where 90% of girls receive genital mutilation, laws that ban FGM has been strengthened. The maximum jail sentence one can receive for carrying out FGM has been increased from 7 years to 20 years. Medical professionals who carry out such procedures will be banned from practicing their profession for up to 5 years.
Some more extreme measures have been taken in Samburu, northern Kenya. Women have built a village, Umajo, as a safe haven for themselves to escape violence, forced marriage and genital mutilation. This village bans all men from entering and over the years has become a place where many other Samburu women seek refuge. Since its establishment in 1990, Samburu has seen other villages being built by women, for women. These villages have outlawed female genital mutilation as well.
What Else Can Be Done?
Despite the increasing number of countries and regions outlawing female genital mutilation, it is still prevalent and many girls are still forced to undergo this traumatic procedure. This could be happening due to the lack of prosecution for those who break the law. In the UK, it is estimated that 66 000 women have undergone FGM despite a law passed in 1985 which criminalises the procedure. However, there has not been a single prosecution. Even if countries outlaw the practice of genital mutilation, without sufficient pressure and prosecution, it is unlikely FGM rates will go down.
Awareness needs to be raised about FGM, and it is important to distinguish the difference between female genital mutilation and male circumcision. In male circumcision, the foreskin of the penis is removed for hygiene purposes. Female genital mutilation involves damaging the clitoris which serves no health purposes. The foreskin and clitoris are simply not the same and are incomparable. A more suitable comparison would be the testicles and the clitoris. Distinguishing female genital mutilation from male circumcision puts things into perspective and we realise the graveness of FGM as many have the misconception that FGM is equivalent to cutting off the foreskin, when in fact it’s more of cutting off the testicles.
Education is by far the most effective way of reducing the rates of genital mutilation. In societies where most women receive genital mutilation, there is a strong cultural mindset that an uncut woman is ‘dirty’. This leads to the woman being ostracised by her community, scorned at by her in-laws and even other women.
When women who are not cut marry into a family with a cutting tradition, they’re treated quite horribly. They’re made fun of. People won’t eat the food they prepare. They’re called dirty and spiritually impure. The primary source of conflict is not with their husband but with other women in the household, who look at them with disgust.
Education campaigns that increase the awareness of how truly harming FGM is physically, mentally and socially, should be targeted at societies like these, which tend to be rural villages. By building a common consensus that one’s social status should not be based on whether they have been cut or not, it can encourage the society as a whole to put down their blades. Many women know the risks of FGM but yet still cling onto tradition due to the social implications of not undergoing FGM. They pass on such ideals to their daughters and this repeats the cycle. This cycle must be broken and education is the key to doing that.
Action also needs to be taken to destigmatise sex. The main basis of FGM is to ‘maintain’ the purity of the girl. Many of the cultures that carry out genital mutilation believe that sex should not be enjoyable for women. This however, could not be more wrong. Tackling this issue head on could lead to women accepting that sex should not hurt, and could in turn reduce the number of girls receiving FGM.
All in all, the rate of girls and young women going through FGM have been steadily decreasing but are still widespread in some countries. There has been an increase in awareness of how detrimental female genital mutilation is, hence the issue may not lie within the lack of knowledge but rather the persistence of sticking to harmful traditions. Addressing these concerns may be the best way to eradicate female genital mutilation.
[Written by: Sarah Chong]
