The Price of Tradition: Female Genital Mutilation Essay

their universality have been debated around the world by different cultures. Many people believe that there are no universal human rights because all cultures have different traditions and ideals. In about 28 countries located across the northern center of Africa, female genital mutilation (FGM), sometimes known as female circumcision, is practiced. Approximately

Female Circumcision The World Health Organization defines female circumcision as “a procedure involving partial or total removal of the external genitalia for cultural, religious, or non-therapeutic reasons(1).” It is commonly practiced by Muslims in Africa and various parts of the Middle East. According to Loretta Kopelman, there are over 80 million women who have had some variation of this procedure. Female circumcision is categorized into three types; Type one is the complete or partial removal

Female Genitalia Mutilation Picture this, a young innocent girl, between the age of eight and twelve, running around, playing, and having a good time. Then she is snatched away to a foul hut, whose floor is nothing but dirt. Once in the hut, the helpless girl is stripped of all her clothing and pinned to the dirt floor. Her tiny legs are spread and held wide apart with a tight grasp. Soon afterward, a midwife, with no education in human anatomy or medicine, enters the hut and says a prayer.

Female Genital Circumcision Female genital circumcision (FGC) is a cultural ritual that is performed to the vast majority of women within the countries of Sudan, Kenya, Mali, Benin, Togo, and parts of the Middle East. Female genital circumcision also termed as female genital mutilation is used based upon a person’s beliefs. This ritual has been highly controversial for many years especially in the western society, due to the health risks that women may have to go through. Doctor Gruenbaum, and anthropologist

Cultures Suppression of women has occurred in all societies. Damage created by societal repression ranges from psychological damage to physical damage.  The suppression of women is not only perpetrated by men, often other women support the cultural traditions which are damaging, as they themselves grew up within the confines of those social norms.  Marge Piercy, a feminist activist, writer and poet makes a statement against social norms damaging to women with her poem, "A Work of Artifice". After reading

Circumcision, possible for both males and females, implies the procedure of genital cutting. This process is one of the oldest surgical procedures done in a variety of countries. However, circumcision can not only be accepted for medical reasons but also tend to appear defining for one 's religious, cultural, as well as social lives. Thus, traditional circumcision is usually undertaken in worse conditions than the traditional medical one. With recent research, numerous advantages for a circumcised

1. Introduction⁠ Female genital mutilation (FGM), female cutting and circumcision are all synonyms for procedures involving partial or total removal of the external genitalia and other injury to the genital organs for non-medical reasons.(WHO 2008)⁠ It is widely practiced in 29 countries. Worldwide more than 125 million girls and women deal with the consequences and every year 3 million girls are circumcised.(UNICEF 2013)⁠ Sierra Leone, located in West-Africa, is one of the countries where FGM

Topic: FGC-Reasoning behind the Female genital circumcision. General Purpose: To inform my audience Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about female genital circumcision and why it is practiced. Thesis: Female Genital Circumcision is a cultural procedure that is performed on young girls for a variety of reasons. Members of this culture chose to continue these traditions because they believe they will gain sociological, health and marriage benefits for their daughters, ensuring these young

Outline of the problem FGM is a practice which is rooted into the Masaai traditions and culture for decades. It is a procedure that involves partial removal of the female genital organs. It is now recognized on an international basis as a violation of the human rights of girls and women and more importantly highlights an extreme form of discrimination against women. This practice which is performed at a young age violates the individual’s security and health rights. The treatment is inhumane and

1 SELECTED CASES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN NIGERIA Cases of domestic violence against women have been on the increase in Nigeria. Women are being abused on a daily basis whether by battering, acid bath, rape, widowhood practices, genital mutilation, among others. A 27-year-old woman, Folashade Shodiya, said she was forced to stab her husband to death because the latter habitually abused her at home.PUNCH Metro had reported on November 19, 2014, that the police arrested Shodiya, for allegedly