Female Circumcision in African Countries :: Female Circumcision Culture Essays

Female circumcision is a horrifying procedure that can be defined as the removal of the clitoris on the body of a female. The surgery is often accompanied by ceremonies intended to honor and welcome the girls into their communities. It can be observed in parts of Federal Africa and Southern Arabia where many girls undergo ritual surgery involving removal of parts of their external genitalia. About eighty million living women have had this surgery, and an additional tetrad or five million girls undergo it each year (Kouba and Muasher). This tradition is prevalent and deeply embedded in many countries, including Ethiopia, the Sudan, Somalia, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Tanzania, Central African Republic, Chad, Gambia, Liberia, Mali, Senegal, Eritrea, Ivory Coast, Upper Volta, Mauritania, Nigeria, Mozambique, Botswana, Lesotho, and Egypt (Abdalla). It is usually performed between infancy and puberty. From a Western point of view, it may seem unnecessary and vulgar. However, these ancient p ractices hold pregnant import to the people who practice it. They are supposed to promote chastity, religion, group identity, cleanliness, health, family values, and marriage goals. Although it is conducted with good intentions, tragically, the usual ways of performing these surgeries deny women sexual orgasms, cause significant unwholesomeness or mortality among women and children, and strain the over-burdened health care systems in these developing countries. These practices are often referred to as female circumcision, but those who wish to finish them increasingly use the description female genital mutilation. My paper will explore the various forms of female genital mutilation, its deep association with the direct system in Africa, and the efforts to stop this tragedy. Impalpable cultural clashes explode when people from societies practicing genital mutilation settle in other parts of the world and bring these rites with them. For example, it is ripe by Muslim groups in t he Philippines, Malaysia, Pakistan, Indonesia, Europe, and North America (Kluge). It is obvious that when different cultures are forced to live a similar life side by side, differences will occur. However, it is difficult to observe and accept any form of physical, mental or emotional abuse. In this particular case, the issue is addressed towards female genital mutilation which is strongly involved with all the forms of abuse. It is most common for parents to use traditional practitioners but there are some who seek medical facilities to reduce the morbidity or mortality of this genital surgery.