Infibulation consists of the removal of the entire clitoris, the whole of the
labia minora and up to 2/3 of the labia majora. The sides of the vulva are sewn
or held together by long thorns. A small opening the size of the tip of a
matchstick is left for the -3- passage of menstrual blood and urine. Excision is
a clitoridectomy and sometimes the removal of the labia minora; Sunna is the
only type that can truthfully be called circumcision. It is a subtotal
clitoridectomy (Female..., 1714). To put this in perspective, infibulation would
be like cutting off a man's penis completely, cutting the testicles to the
groin, and making a hole in them to have the semen siphoned out (McCarthy, 14).
But still, it can get worse. The instruments that can be used to perform the
operation are usually crude and dirty. They can include kitchen knives, razor
blades, scissors, broken glass, and in some regions, the teeth of the midwife.
Because of this, there are many dangers threatening the victim. The most
immediate danger is exsanguination: there is no record of how many girls bleed
to death because of this operation (Female..., 1715). Other physical
consequences include infection, gangrene, abscesses, infertility, painful sex,
difficulty in childbirth, and possibly death (Men's..., 34).
No matter how much we learn, the pain will still be the same as when the
first female circumcision was performed in the fifth century, B.C. (McCarthy,
14). The number of women affected by this has risen steadily since then. The
average per year is now 2 million (McCarthy, 15), and it is their female
friends, mothers, and grandmothers who urge them to lie back and think of
traditional culture (Men's..., 34). The reason women are promoting this practice
is because circumcisions are often carried out by select older women, whose
profession provides them with a degree of public esteem rarely enjoyed by women
in male-dominated societies (Brownlee, 58). A better, but still not logical
reason for women to promote FGM is life. Soraya Mire remarks, [It] is proof of
your -4- virginity, and men only want to marry virgins. A Sudanese woman without
a husband is not only an outcast, she is likely to die of starvation because she
has no way to make a living on her own. (Bell, 59) Many cultures support female
circumcision because of ancient native beliefs. For example, some believe that
bodies are bisexual at birth. To enter adulthood, girls must be relieved of
their male part, the clitoris (Brownlee, 58). Others believe that the clitoris
contains poison or will eventually grow to the size of a man's penis (Female...,
1716). However, the tide is turning. Men, who probably created FGM for their
benefit, are turning against it. Most men found out that prostitutes are more
fun if the woman isn't in pain. It's not the best reason, but it's better than
none at all (Men's..., 34) This has been a tragic and horrifying story to tell.
It made me sick to my stomach to do this research and I am sorry I had to tell
this story but someone had to.
Bibliography
Barrie, Mariama L. Wounds that never heal. Essence, Mar. 1996: 54. Bell, Alison.
Worldwide women's watch. TEEN, June 1996: 58-59. Brownlee, Shannon and Jennifer
Seter. In the name of ritual. U.S. News and World Report, Feb. 7, 1994: 56-58.
Female genital mutilation. JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical
Association, Dec. 6, 1995: 1714-1716. FGM: A universal issue. Humanist, Sep.
1996: 46. McCarthy, Sheryl. Fleeing mutilation, fighting for asylum. Ms., July
1996: 12-16. Men's traditional culture. Economist, Aug. 10, 1996: 34. Samad,
Asha. Afterword. Natural History, Aug. 1996: 52-53.
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