This last week we were learning about Female Genital Mutilation and what is done to stop this.
FGM or Female Genital Mutilation is "all procedures that involve partial or total removal of external female genitalia or other injury to the genital organs for non-medical reasons" - World Health Organization
This is a traditional procedure that have bin going on for centuries, nobody even knows when the tradition started, a procedure that is so normal that it is like a confirmation.
FGM is divided in 3 types:
1) The first one is removal of the skin and almost clitoris itself
2) Removal of the inner labia and clitoris
3) Removal of inner and outer labia, and leaving just a small hole with the size of a matchstick so that urine and menstrual blood can pass, the blood is created by a cow-horn or rock inserted to the wound
What happens:
This procedure is done up til the age of 15, early in the morning. Before the girls is so awake that they know whats going on, and are so grown up that they understand that this is something wrong. It is normally some women doing it together towards the girl with force, holding the girl down while they are singing songs. After the procedure it is a celebrating party, like a confirmation saiing that the girl is now clean, since she can't enjoy sexual plessure.
The girl legs are now tied together from hip to ankle for a month while she is often hidden in the woods, and sometimes given water, believed that it will grow.
If the girl survive that month the next step is when a man normally in the forties or fifties cut her up with eather a scissor or a knife and penetrates her. In some cases she is just married away.
Now she is looked on as a grown woman and is ready to be married away.
It can take from 3-4 days to several months before the man can penetrate her. But in some woman the scar can be so hard because of it is owergrown with keloidal formations that have brokened scalpeles in the attempt of opening it.
If a pragnent woman hasn't experienced FGM the procedure is performed before she gives birth because it is believed the baby may be stillborn if it touches her clitoris
Prevalence of FGM in Africa:
From WHO
But since this theme is so sensitive and hard to get data of this is just a picture of the surface and which not is hidden.
Konsekvensene of female genital mutilation:
- Shock
- Pain
- Urinary retantion
- Keloids
- Difficult menstruation
- Bitterness
- Fear
- Loss of trust
- Feeling of incompletness
- Death
Positiv side:
At wednesday last week we in CFC were visiting one of the groups that Kenya YWCA has. A group that has done a really good job in stopping FGM. They have made some sertificate that people can get if they have bin learning, understood and are willing to stop this terrible opperation.
When we were there it was their graduation and recieved their sertificates. It was so good to be there and see young to the old, especially the konservative Masaii-women that said that this was a really bad thing to do. Especialy since some of them have bin experiensing up to all of the three traditons that has bin removed or is starting to be removed. There was a man that was so proud of this work by removing the tradition of take away their front teeth, making big wholes in their ears by using fire(he had a big whole in one of his ears). And now they are going to stop FGM.
This visit was so inspirating, the leader of the group a woman in here 30th, teenagers, men and the hundred years old woman. All of them standing for their choises.
If you want to read more about it you could look at YMCA-YWCA Globals article about FGM:
and Kenya YWCAs work:
