azania open view

'Female genital mutilation' 

Hello children of Azania

Today i came across something very odd that shook my blood and gave me chicken skin. I am one person who is very obsessed with reading, art and story telling. So toady as usual i was going through Ted Talks page(my favorite) to expand my knowledge and of course learn a lot. *must say, Ted Talks is thee best for every performing/ non performing artist and public speaking people in general, check it out*

I came across Khadija Gbla 's talk titled "Born a girl in the wrong place" here she describes a culture that was initiated in some countries of Africa. 'Female genital mutilation' (FGM) this is the deliberate mutilation of female genitalia. This is often the removal or cutting of the labia and clitoris. In simply words is a process of cutting of a girls private part to prevent pleasure and longing for sex.

Recent estimates indicate that around 90% of cases include clitoridectomy, excision or cases where girls’ genitals are “nicked” but no flesh removed (Type IV), and about 10% are infibulations (WHO).

FGM classified into four types:

 Type I: 

Also known as clitoridectomy, this type consists of partial or total removal of the clitoris and/or its prepuce.

Type II: 

Also known as excision, the clitoris and labia minora are partially or totally removed, with or without excision of the labia majora.

Type III: 

The most severe form, it is also known as infibulation or pharaonic type. The procedure consists of narrowing the vaginal orifice with creation of a covering seal by cutting and appositioning the labia minora and/or labia majora, with or without removal of the clitoris. The appositioning of the wound edges consists of stitching or holding the cut areas together for a certain period of time (for example, girls’ legs are bound together), to create the covering seal. A small opening is left for urine and menstrual blood to escape. An infibulation must be opened either through penetrative sexual intercourse or surgery.

Type IV: 

This type consists of all other procedures to the genitalia of women for non-medical purposes, such as pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterization.

Khadija grew up as a angry woman and felt her rights to freedom choice, pleasure and sexual rights were violated, which people from her village found it very normal but strange enough they don't really talk about this. She grew up knowing this is normal until the went to girls boding school. having to meet girls who don't happen to look like them down there and having to experience that fact that she does not feel the same way other girls do. to cut the long story short, this made her bitter and vicious. today she is the founder and directer of No FGM Australia, she is basically saying No to this act or culture and helping children who can not speak for themselves from their abusive parents.

This broke my heart and disturbed me i can say, i just didn't know such norms existed, i am totally against this act. it does not feel right. i am one person who believe and value cultures. i respect my culture and value other people's traditions as well, but sometimes i believe we have to break some norms that are harmful to others especially our children. i did a research about this FGM, here's my finding:

Immediate consequences of FGM

Include severe pain and bleeding, shock, difficulty in passing urine, infections, injury to nearby genital tissue and sometimes death. The procedure can result in death through severe bleeding leading to haemorrhagic shock, neurogenic shock as a result of pain and trauma, and overwhelming infection and septicaemia, according to Manfred Nowak, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

Almost all women who have undergone FGM experience pain and bleeding as a consequence of the procedure. The event itself is traumatic as girls are held down during the procedure. Risk and complications increase with the type of FGM and are more severe and prevalent with infibulations.

“The pain inflicted by FGM does not stop with the initial procedure, but often continues as ongoing torture throughout a woman’s life”, says Manfred Nowak, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture.

In addition to the severe pain during and in the weeks following the cutting, women who have undergone FGM experience various long-term effects - physical, sexual and psychological.

Women may experience chronic pain, chronic pelvic infections, development of cysts, abscesses and genital ulcers, excessive scar tissue formation, infection of the reproductive system, decreased sexual enjoyment and psychological consequences, such as post-traumatic stress disorder.

Additional risks for complications from infibulations include urinary and menstrual problems, infertility, later surgery (defibulation and reinfibulation) and painful sexual intercourse. Sexual intercourse can only take place after opening the infibulation, through surgery or penetrative sexual intercourse. Consequently, sexual intercourse is frequently painful during the first weeks after sexual initiation and the male partner can also experience pain and complications.

When giving birth, the scar tissue might tear, or the opening needs to be cut to allow the baby to come out. After childbirth, women from some ethnic communities are often sown up again to make them “tight” for their husband (reinfibulation). Such cutting and restitching of a woman’s genitalia results in painful scar tissue.

A multi-country study by WHO in six African countries, showed that women who had undergone FGM, had significantly increased risks for adverse events during childbirth, and that genital mutilation in mothers has negative effects on their newborn babies. According to the study, an additional one to two babies per 100 deliveries die as a result of FGM.

Azania open view: Khanyi Mdluli
photo cred: Defender of Faith~Guardian of Truth - WordPress.com