Female Genital Mutilation

boys of different ages are circumcised at one time. It is still practiced by Australian Aborigines as a test of self-control and bravery. It is part of a wider tradition that includes scarification of the body. Most Filipino men are circumcised during the springtime months. The circumcised boy is treated as an adult after the procedure is done.

FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION

This practice is also sometimes referred to as female circumcision. It removes some or a portion of the external female genitalia. It is mainly done in parts of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, where it is believed to have affected 200 million living women. It can be done at birth or even beyond puberty but is primarily done before five years of age. The procedure involves removal of the clitoris, clitoral hood, inner labia and outer labia, with closure of the vulva, although there are different degrees of severity. It leaves behind a small hole that will allow for urination and menstrual blood. The vagina is later opened for intercourse and childbirth.

Much of the practice is related to certain cultural ideas about modesty, beauty, and purity as well as an attempt to control female sexuality. The practice is actually done by women who fear that failing to do the procedure would alienate the child culturally. Side effects include problems urinating, infections, chronic pain, and incomplete passage of menstrual flow.

The most common type of this procedure performed involves complete or partial excision of the glans clitoris. This is called type I. In type II excisions, the inner labia and sometimes the removal of the clitoris and external labia are performed. Type III is referred to as infibulation, where the remaining portions of the external genitalia are sewn together. The remaining hole is about 2 to 3 millimeters in diameter. This is primarily done in Africa. The genitals are opened up by a midwife or by the woman’s husband. Some women have it repeated after childhood, widowhood, or divorce.

In cultures where infibulation is more common, both men and women tend not to like the sight of a natural women’s vulva and there is a preference for dry sex as well as a dry vaginal area without any odor. Some women will insert things, such as tree bark, Vicks

menthol rub, and toothpaste in order to reduce the vaginal lubrication. It is believed by both men and women that infibulation allows for better hygiene. Women also cite things like cultural acceptance, religion, marriageability, and preservation of virginity as reasons for the procedure. In some cultures, such as Egypt, it is seen as a religious obligation.