Female Circumcision

Female Circumcision

Introduction

The female genital mutilation (FGM) or Female Circumcision is a crucial element of ritual initiation ceremonies in some communities, insofar as they mark the passage into adulthood for girls, popular belief seeing it as a means of controlling female sexuality. It is essentially important so ensure the virginity of women before marriage and chastity thereafter. The origin of these practices is relatively unknown to researchers, but there is evidence of their existence long before the advent of Christianity and of Islam, in communities that perpetuate today.

Currently, female genital mutilation practiced widely in Africa. To a lesser extent, but also practiced in Asia, the Middle East, the Arabian Peninsula, in Australia and Latin America. In Western countries, cases are becoming more common among immigrant women and girls of the companies concerned (Koso-Thomas, 2004; Martin & Walsh, 2007).

Discussion

Human Rights violation

Today, organizations working on behalf of human rights in Western countries, in Africa and Asia consider female genital mutilation as a violation of human rights. These practices considered unacceptable forms of modification of the physical integrity of the person, especially since these mutilations performed on people too young or too vulnerable to give their informed consent. The surgeon Pierre Foldes, who has developed a surgical technique of reconstruction described circumcision as "a crime because of multiple rape, incest, mutilation and ignorance.” FGM is illegal in most countries of the world (Dude, 2008).

Different Types

The World Health Organization (WHO), in 1995 before a classification to distinguish between different types, made in 1997 into a joint statement by WHO, UNICEF and UNFPA has been taken over. This typing revised in 2008 and has since been supported by other organizations and programs of the United Nations, besides those already mentioned by OHCHR, UNAIDS, UNDP, UNECA, UNESCO, UNHCR and UNIFEM.

Accordingly, can be on the degree of change between the following four types:

Type I: Partial or total removal of the externally visible part of the clitoris (clitoridectomy) and / or the prepuce (clitoral hood reduction).

Type II: Partial or total removal of the externally visible part of the clitoris and the labia minora, with or without cutting of the labia majora (excision).

Type III: Narrowing of the vaginal orifice with the creation of a nationwide closure by the internal and / or the outer labia cut and assembled, with or without removal of the externally visible part of the clitoris (infibulation).

Type IV: In this category, all such practices, which do not fit into one of the other three categories. The WHO called an example of the pricking, piercing, incising (intercession), scraping and cauterization of genital tissue (Oxford, 2008).

Explanation based on Types

Which are most commonly practiced forms of intervention could previously only be estimated. The largest amount of data it trimmed about African girls and women who are older than 15 years. These have to be about 90 percent of genital changes in the types I, II and IV, to 10 percent of type III. Other estimates deal with girls who ...