Female Genital Cutting

Introduction

Female circumcision is the English-language term used for many different traditional practices that involve cutting and modification of the female genitalia. Now considered a euphemistic term by many writers, it nevertheless embodies the intention of the practitioners to perform a traditional cutting ritual analogous to male circumcision practices. In the latter half of the twentieth century, the term Female Genital Cutting or FGC was popularized to draw attention to the severity of some forms of the practices as well as the international opposition to all forms, and to stimulate the movement for change. Female Genital Cutting (or FGC) is the term frequently used to stress the benign intent of the practitioners, even though the practices are known to be harmful in various ways (Shell, 95).

The actual cutting that is done, as well as the ideas and purposes behind the practices, vary tremendously. In an effort to describe the physical consequences more systematically, the World Health Organization developed a typology that is widely used. The first type (Type I) is commonly referred to as clitoridectomy, which includes the partial or total removal of the clitoris and clitoral prepuce (hood). An intermediate form that includes the removal of the entire clitoris, clitoral prepuce, and some or all of the labia minora (inner lips) and often some or all of the labia majora (outer lips) is usually referred to as excision (Type II). Infibulation is done in Type III, which refers to procedures that include the removal of tissues such as in Types I and II plus the partial closing of the vaginal opening by joining the raw tissue on the two sides together so that scar tissue forms across the vaginal opening.

In the practice of this very severe type—found mostly in northern Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea, and Djibouti—a straw or other thin object is used during healing to preserve a single tiny aperture for urination and menstrual flow. For infibulated women, first intercourse is extremely difficult, resulting in tissue damage or the necessity of cutting a bride open at marriage (usually by a midwife). In societies where infibulation is culturally practiced, it is common to reinfibulate the vulva following each birth, a practice also called recircumcision. Reinfibulation may also be done at other times, such as when a woman wants to have herself tightened. Any other practices that change or affect the female genitalia are categorized together as Type IV. This category includes the custom of labia stretching found in some cultures, the use of astringents, or piercing.

Origins and Cultural Significance

Female circumcision practices have carried differing meanings in the historical periods and in the cultures and where they are practiced. Female Genital Cutting practices have existed since ancient times in northeast Africa and may have existed as long in many of the countries where they are found in the twenty-first century. The practice was reported in the ancient Nile Valley, but some of the stories told about its origins are not factual, being used as origin myths either to reinforce or ...