Thousands of Girls Reportedly Circumcised Each Day
Originally published by Reuters Health, March 8, 2002
LONDON — About 6000 girls a day undergo circumcision, often willingly, and up to 115 million African women have already had it done, US-based development agency World Vision said on Thursday.
Some women believe that if they do not undergo circumcision, called female genital mutilation (FGM) by its opponents, their husband might die, they will give birth to an abnormal baby, or their genitalia might grow to enormous size.
These beliefs have helped perpetuate the practice in more than 30 countries, Fatuma Hashi, the report's author, said. "The worst perpetrators of FGM are women themselves," Hashi said, adding girls fear being ostracized and older women cling to tradition, unaware of the health risks.
Female circumcision is a cultural practice with roots predating the spread of the major religions. Regardless, "erroneous beliefs that the Christian bible and the Muslim Koran demand it are widespread," Hashi said.
The report highlighted cases in Ethiopia, Kenya and Ghana, and described a Kenyan woman ordering her twin daughters to shower in ice-cold water in preparation for circumcision. The external genitalia were then removed with a sharp razor blade.
Cultures which practice female circumcision gave many reasons for it, including preserving virginity, enhancing personal hygiene or attractiveness, easing childbirth and achieving status for the girl or her father.
Types of female circumcision range from clitoridectomy to infibulation, in which the clitoris and labia minora are removed and the labia majora are pinned together with catgut or thorns, leaving only a pinhole opening for urine and menstrual blood.
Infibulation, also called "pharaonic" circumcision, leaves scar tissue which must be cut open before intercourse and the birth of each child.
Apart from the short-term consequences of FGM such as extreme pain, blood loss, gangrene and infections, many girls went on to suffer pain during sexual intercourse, infertility, incontinence, depression and long-term psychological problems. It sometimes caused death from hemorrhage, blood poisoning, or urine retention.
FGM could also lead to problems at childbirth, and many women suffered constant bleeding, slow sexual arousal and an inhibited orgasm, or no orgasm at all.
"Sex and suffering become synonymous to females both young and old," the report said. "Having no acceptable way of addressing their feelings, these girls and women mostly suffer in silence."
The report quoted an official of an African community education group as saying half the battle was to convince traditional midwives, who birth over 80% of Africa's babies and who are trusted by mothers.
"It's the midwives who either circumcise girls themselves, or encourage mothers to circumcise daughters," the official said.
