FGM (Female Genital Mutilation)

“Ouch!!! Vagina cut,”! When you’re shaving your vulva and you get a cut, it’s the worst feeling in the world, right? What if I were to tell you that girls ranging from 5-16 are forced to have their vulvas cut?That’s horrible, right? Female genital mutilation (FGM), also known as female genital cutting and female circumcision, is defined by the

World Health Organization (WHO) as "all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia,” according to Wikipedia.

    Just thinking about a knife or a pair of scissors  going anywhere near my vagina gives me chills, but this is an epidemic that we as women have to fight. Some young girls are not as lucky as we are.  FGM is  practiced in 28 countries in western, eastern, and northeastern Africa, in parts of the Middle East, and within some immigrant communities in Europe, North America and Australasia.  FGM is recognized internationally as a violation of the human rights of girls and women.

    In some cultures FGM is considered a right of passage for girls.  FGM is often considered a necessary part of raising a girl properly and a way to prepare her for adulthood and marriage. FGM is related to cultural ideals of femininity and modesty, which include the notion that girls are “clean” and "beautiful" after removal of body parts that are considered  "unclean.”

Female genital mutilation is classified into four major types according to WHO:

• Clitoridectomy: partial or total removal of the clitoris

• Excision: partial or total removal of the clitoris and the labia minora, with or without excision of the labia majora (the labia are "the lips" that surround the vagina).
• 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.
• Other: all other harmful procedures to the female genitalia for non-medical purposes, e.g. pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterizing the genital area.

FGM is believed to reduce a woman's desire to have sex.  When  the vaginal opening is cut the fear of the pain of opening it, and the fear that this will be found out, is expected to discourage women from premarital sexual intercose.

FGM has a negative effect on girls’ bodies. It causes infertility, premature births, deaths, and the need for corrective surgeries in the future.  For example, the FGM procedure that seals or narrows a vaginal opening needs to be cut open later for sexual intercourse and childbirth.

         I’m really angry and just upset that this  is happening, but my anger won’t stop this. But you know what will?  Spreading the word: Not everyone might know about FGM but they will if you tell them.  

Until next week, my amazing followers.