SOCIOLOGY

Women circumcision in Africa

Women circumcision in Africa

Introduction

In this study, we try to explore the concept of “Female Circumcision” in a holistic context. The main focus of the research is on “Female Circumcision” and its relation with “Social Perspective”. The research also analyzes many aspects of “Female Circumcision” and tries to gauge its effect on “Social Perspective”. Finally, the research describes various factors which are responsible for “Female Circumcision”, and tries to describe the overall effect of “Female Circumcision” on “Social Perspective.

Female genital mutilation is a collective period for diverse surgeries presented on young girls, often finished as part of initiation rituals into adulthood. Other periods routinely utilized are female genital cutting, female circumcision, clitoridectomy, infibulations or Pharaonic circumcision, excision, and Sunna. Except for female genital cutting and female circumcision which furthermore are general periods and utilized interchangeably with female genital mutilation, the other periods are more exact, showing the specific kind of operations being performed.

Definition and Etymology

Female circumcision or female genital mutilation is defined as “all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons”, by WHO. It is further characterized as the elimination or the removal of female genital parts either partially or completely for the religious or cultural reasons.

It is also referred or explained as the removal of the outer part of female genitals in order to eliminate or minimize the sexual desires in women so that they may not indulge in extra marital affairs or illegal affairs with sex. The basic concept behind this process was to remove the sense of pleasure of sex from females so that they may not want to indulge in these activities if their husbands are not around or when the female is growing around.

Concept of FGM

Referring to the history of this process, it can be regarded that this process is in practice since the inception of African history. The basic concept of this process involves that people use to perform circumcision on females as they believe it as a point of purification for females. They believe that these purifications lead women to avoid the pleasure of having sex, and they will consider it as a painful thing. This will stop them from indulging in unlawful sexual activities.

Further to this, the African men used to go out for a long time in hunting, therefore, they were of fear that the sexual desires will emerge in females for that time, and hence they will get involve in these activities the process of circumcision will stop them from getting involve in extra marital affairs. The concepts of having pain within the sexual process will stop them from perform extra sexual affairs (Abdalla, 1982).

The age of girls at the time of mutilation varies by region. A next place, female genital mutilation, is performed on infants a few days, on girls aged 7 to 10 years, and on adolescents. FGM also concern women adults, who suffer at the time of their ...