FGM in Somalia
Female Genital Mutilation in Somalia
“They have robbed me. They took away my power and left me a cripple. My womanhood was stolen. If God had wanted those body parts missing, why did he create them?”
- Waris Dirie
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is defined by the World Health Organization as “all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons” (WHO). FGM is both a health and human rights issue affecting thousands of women around the world every day. But for over 20 countries around the world, this demeaning ritual is more than just a surgical process – it is a traditional initiation into adulthood, particularly in Somalia. With a high prevalence rate of FGM, Somali women are most affected by the issue. Many young women are tricked into the procedure and there is not much they can do. However, women’s and human rights organizations are trying to put a stop to this issue. There are different ways people around the world can put an end to FGM. It is a violation to the rights of women affected by it. In spite of tradition, religion, or cultural beliefs, female genital mutilation has proven to be a harmful practice that desecrates the civil liberties of all girls and women affected.
Also referred to as female circumcision, FGM is practiced in 28 countries in Africa and the Middle East. This “social ritual” causes injury to the female genitalia. The operation, often performed by a village elder without the use of anesthesia involves total removal of the clitoris and the labia minoria and severing the inner side of the labia majoria. The vagina is then sutured together leaving a small whole for urine and menstrual discharge to pass (REFWORLD). About 98% of Somalia’s female population ages 15-49 have suffered from this merciless process. Female genital mutilation has absolutely no health benefits and is more likely to cause the woman more harm than help.
“They have robbed me. They took away my power and left me a cripple. My womanhood was stolen. If God had wanted those body parts missing, why did he create them?”
- Waris Dirie
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is defined by the World Health Organization as “all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons” (WHO). FGM is both a health and human rights issue affecting thousands of women around the world every day. But for over 20 countries around the world, this demeaning ritual is more than just a surgical process – it is a traditional initiation into adulthood, particularly in Somalia. With a high prevalence rate of FGM, Somali women are most affected by the issue. Many young women are tricked into the procedure and there is not much they can do. However, women’s and human rights organizations are trying to put a stop to this issue. There are different ways people around the world can put an end to FGM. It is a violation to the rights of women affected by it. In spite of tradition, religion, or cultural beliefs, female genital mutilation has proven to be a harmful practice that desecrates the civil liberties of all girls and women affected.
Also referred to as female circumcision, FGM is practiced in 28 countries in Africa and the Middle East. This “social ritual” causes injury to the female genitalia. The operation, often performed by a village elder without the use of anesthesia involves total removal of the clitoris and the labia minoria and severing the inner side of the labia majoria. The vagina is then sutured together leaving a small whole for urine and menstrual discharge to pass (REFWORLD). About 98% of Somalia’s female population ages 15-49 have suffered from this merciless process. Female genital mutilation has absolutely no health benefits and is more likely to cause the woman more harm than help.
Cited: United States Department of State, Somalia: Report on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) or Female Genital Cutting (FGC), 1 June 2001, http://www.refworld.org/docid/46d5787c 32.html [accessed 11 May 2013] Pool, Gabriel. "Take Action." Forwarduk.org. N.p., 2012. Web. 11 May 2013. . Al-Dhayi, Ban. "Towards Abandoning Female Genital Mutilation/cutting in Somalia for Once, and for All." Unicef.org. UNICEF, 19 Mar. 2013. Web. 12 May 2013. . Goldberg, Eleanor. "Female Genital Mutilation In Somalia On Decline: UN." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 22 Apr. 2013. Web. 12 May 2013. . "Female Genital Mutilation." Who.int. World Health Organization, Feb. 2013. Web. 12 May 2013. . Kristof, Nicholas D., and Sheryl WuDunn. "Edna 's Hospital." Half the Sky Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2009. 123. Print. Dirie, Waris, and Cathleen Miller. Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey of a Desert Nomad. New York: Perennial/HarperCollins, 2001. Print.