STOP FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION!
The Issue
Female Genital Mutilation is a Violation of Human Rights!
Your support by signing this petition will help raise awareness for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) that affects over 125 million girls worldwide in 29 different countries including Africa and the Middle East. Female Genital Mutilation is a violation of human rights and there are no health benefits to it as the practice is based on cultural rituals. This practice violates girls as coercion is often used by their family and communities to undergo this dangerous and painful surgery. There are many health risks involved in female circumcision including but not limited to bleeding, dysfunctional urination, later cysts, infections, infertility, increased risk of childbirth complications and increased of newborn death rate. Women are oppressed by FGM because it is an act of sexism used to maintain control of women’s sexuality and desires. In addition, women are labeled promiscuous and at risk for prostitution if they are not circumcised. Education and awareness act as a protective barrier to women at risk for FGM as women and their families understand the risks and lack of benefits involved in female circumcision. Raising awareness will help educate more women and families globally to ban the practice of Female Genital Mutilation.
What is Female Genital Mutilation?
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a destructive operation also known as female circumcision. FGM is a practice that involves the partial or total removal of the female genitalia often for cultural and social reasons with the purpose of inhibiting the women's sexual feelings. It is usually practiced by ethnic groups in around 30 countries of Africa and the Middle East. FGM is done as part of a cultural ritual to girls at young ages, usually between ages 4 and 15, by a traditional circumciser or "cutter" whom uses a knife or a razor under perilous unhygienic conditions and without the use of anesthesia. It is known that this practice has no medical purposes but negative consequences to the girls and women in these communities.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 125 million women alive today are affected by FGM worldwide. Several explanations are offered by the societies that practice FGM, one in which the societies' members believe it is imperative to adhere to cultural norms and tradition. These societies fear the consequences of not following tradition as societal pressures encourage them to continue the practice. Other explanations include cultural beliefs that the bride price is higher and a woman is more suitable for marriage if she is circumcised. Female circumcision is also a practice used to control women’s sexuality. As a consequence, traditional values override the risk that girls face when being circumcised.
There are 4 types of female circumcision, some of which are more severe and dangerous than others:
- Type I, Clitoridectomy: This procedure involves the removal of the clitoral hood or prepuce (partial) or the total removal of the clitoris with the prepuce.
- Type II, Excision: The clitoris, along with the labia minora is partially or totally removed.
- Type III, Infibulation: A severe form of circumcision where the Clitoridectomy and cutting of the outer edges of the labia majora are removed and then sewn back together to create a layer of scar tissue or covering seal. The seal is cut open and re-sewn during childbirth and sexual intercourse.
- Type IV, Other: All other harmful procedures in the genital area with no medical purposes such as pricking, piercing, scraping, or cauterizing.
The concept of culture and tradition is well-understood and appreciated in the context of health and social and physical well-being. However, FGM is an extreme form of discrimination against women and children. This global issue is internationally recognized without any doubt, as a VIOLATION OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF WOMEN AND GIRLS as it promotes inequality between sexes, it reduces to none-existing the right of the women to make their own decision about their bodies (babies and young girls are given no choice), and it can lead to many health and psychological issues, and even death. The PSYCHOLOGICAL, EMOTIONAL, AND PHYSICAL DAMAGE caused to these women in the countries where FGM is practiced can be traumatizing, distressing, and its effects last a lifetime in which the procedure is irreversible.
The Prevalence of Female Genital Mutilation
The earliest known record of FGM was in 25 B.C. discovered by a Greek geographer in Egypt. It is believed, however, that FGM had been practiced for centuries before this occasion. A report done by UNICEF in 2013 revealed that Somalia has the highest prevalence rate of FGM consisting of 98% of the female population surveying an instance of female circumcision. In Africa alone, there are 3 million girls at risk each year of undergoing this practice. Although the majority of cases occur in the Africa, the Middle East, and South-East Asia, immigration has spread this practice to Europe, the U.S, and Australia. In United States for instance, FGM was outlawed in 1996 (it carries a five-year prison term if convicted of performing the procedure on a female under the age of 18), but immigrants will have their daughters undergo this procedure while on vacation overseas (“vacation cutting”) or they will illegally practice the procedure within the U.S. territory in cities like New York, Washington, or Minneapolis. Although rates of FGM are dropping in countries like Iraq, Liberia, and Benin this practice still affects a large number of women all over the world, leading to emotional, physical, and psychological issues.
The impact of Female Genital Mutilation
Traditional circumcisers, who often play other central roles in communities such as attending childbirths, mostly carry out the practice. However, health care providers perform more than 18% of all FGM, and the trend towards medicalization is increasing. The practice also violates a person's rights to health, security and physical integrity, the right to be free from torture and cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment, and the right to life when the procedure results in death.
Complications Are Common and Can Lead to Death. The highest maternal and infant mortality rates are in FGM-practicing regions. The actual number of girls who die as a result of FGM is not known. However, in areas in the Sudan where antibiotics are not available, it is estimated that one-third of the girls undergoing FGM will die. Where medical facilities are ill-equipped, emergencies arising from the practice cannot be treated. Thus, a child who develops uncontrolled bleeding or infection after FGM may die within hours.
Immediate Physical Problems from FGM. Female Circumcision can cause intense pain and/or hemorrhage that can lead to shock during and after the procedure, anemia, and wound infections including tetanus. Victims of FGM are also at risk for experiencing urine retention from swelling and/or blockage of the urethra. A 1985 Sierra Leone study found that nearly 97 percent of the 269 women interviewed experienced intense pain during and after FGM, and more than 13 percent went into shock. A survey in a clinic outside of Freetown (Sierra Leone) showed that of 100 girls who were circumcised, 1 died and 12 required hospitalization. Of the 12 hospitalized, 10 suffered from bleeding and 5 from tetanus. Tetanus is fatal in 50 to 60 percent of all cases. Female circumcision also damages the adjoining organs from the use of blunt instruments by unskilled operators. According to a 1993 nationwide study in the Sudan, this occurs approximately 0.3 percent of the time.
Long-Term Complications of female genital mutilation. There are many long term health concerns for female genital mutilation including painful and/or blocked menses. In 1983, 55.4 percent of women surveyed in Baydhaba, Somalia, reported abnormal menstruation due to FGM. Women can also experience reoccurring urinary tract infections. A 1983 study in the Sudan revealed that 16.4 percent of women who had the operation experienced recurrent urinary tract infections. Physical ailments that form include abscesses, dermoid cysts, and keloid scars (hardening of the scars). There is an increased likelihood of maternal and child morbidity and mortality due to obstructed labor. Women who have undergone FGM are twice as likely to die during childbirth and are more likely to give birth to a stillborn child than other women. Obstructed labor can also cause brain damage to the infant and complications for the mother (including fistula formation, an abnormal opening between the vagina and the bladder or the vagina and the rectum, which can lead to incontinence). Among 33 infibulated mothers followed at Somalia's Benadir Hospital in 1988, all women required extensive episiotomies during childbirth. Their second-stage labor was 5 times longer than normal, 5 of their babies died, and 21 suffered oxygen deprivation because of the long, obstructed labor. An addition, women who survive FGM may become infertile later in life. In the Sudan, 20-25 percent of female infertility has been linked to FGM complications.
It is also report that FGM is likely to increase the risk of HIV infection – the same unsterilized instrument is also used on several girls at a time, increasing the chance of spreading HIV or another communicable disease.
The first time a woman has sex, the vagina opening is so small that it must be opened. Her partner may have to forcibly insert his penis in order to penetrate her, however, this is often difficult so she may have to be cut open before intercourse can happen (if this is done medically this is called de-infibulation). She will then have the painful experience of raw flesh being exposed during her first sexual experience. In the future, sex is likely to be incredibly painful for a woman as the scar tissue that surrounds the vaginal orifice will be rigid and inelastic.
Female genital cutting is also linked to a range of outcomes that negatively impact upon a girl’s socio-economic opportunities. Studies show that FGM is linked to girls dropping out of school at a young age. Many girls suffer from health problems, including severely painful menstruation and bleeding throughout the month, as well as significant trauma after the cut. This leads to frequent absence from school and poor performance. It is well documented that girls who drop out of school earlier go on to earn less and have less agency over choices of marriage and child planning when compared to their peers who have stayed in education for longer. As FGM is also a precursor to marriage, it is linked to instances of child marriage and early first pregnancy before a girl’s body is physically mature enough for birth.
Psychological and Emotional Impacts of FGM. The trauma and memory of being cut, as well as the pain a cut woman may experience throughout her life, especially during sexual experiences and child birth, are also likely to result in further distress. If a woman has undergone type 3 cutting (infibulation), she may relive the initial trauma when she is cut open and re-sewn for intercourse and at birth. A 2010 study about the experiences of cut girls in Iraqi Kurdistan found that: “All circumcised participants remembered the day of their circumcision as extremely frightening and traumatizing. Over 78% of the girls described feelings of intense fear, helplessness, horror, and severe pain. Over 74% were still suffering from intrusive re-experiences of their circumcision.” Studies reveal that girls who undergo FGM go on to experience lower self-esteem, more anxiety, and personality disorders than uncut girls of their age, as well as symptoms of depression. Sexual intercourse can be a painful and traumatic experience for women who have been cut. Women who have undergone type 3 infibulation have a hard plug of scar tissue where the soft opening of the vagina once was.
Our mission to end Female Genital Mutilation
Female Genital Mutilation is not a religious practice, nor is it performed for health reasons. It is known to cause anxiety, depression and PTSD due to the sheer brutality of the procedure. According to UNICEF, between 90-99% of females in Egypt, Somalia and Guinea had been victims of FGM as of 2014. We hope to bring awareness and action to the forefront with this petition. We would like to see more laws passed with harsher punishments in order to help to abolish this extremely inhumane and useless practice that is being performed on women and young girls. We would also like to re-label FGM as a crime with real victims and support any current or future initiations of new bills and laws concerning FGM that gives those who seek such practices as well as those who perform such practices time in prison and punishments similar to crimes like kidnapping and child abuse. Also, our goal is to develop rehabilitation services to those who had their rights violated. The abolishment of FGM would allow all cultures in the world to see happier, safer and healthier girls and young women. There would also be a massive decrease in fear of abuse and pain as well as a rise in personal strength and confidence.
Who we are sending our Petition to
This petition is addressed to women all across the world. All women should be involved in stopping female genital violation because of its inhumane nature as it also takes away a part of women’s femininity and the ownership to their own bodies. Additionally, victims continue to suffer the physical and mental agony for the rest of their lives. Part of the difficulty in recognizing and addressing the problem in the US is the lack of awareness and up-to-date research/statistics on the prevalence of FGM. This Female Genital Mutilation doesn’t only happen in other countries but here in our own home in the United States of America. The best way to create high awareness in U.S. is through the White House and the Department of Health and Human Services, to take the essential first step of commissioning a report on the current statistics of women in the US impacted by FGM and the girls at risk of being mutilated. Globally, we would also like to address this petition to the United Nations, not only to its principal organ the General Assembly, but also to the World Health Organization, UNESCO, and UNICEF, so we can stop his atrocious practice.
LET’S EDUCATE PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD AND GET THEM JOIN IN AGAINST FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION!
Please help us raise awareness and fight for a woman’s right to deny Female Genital Mutilation by signing this petition.
References:
Female genital mutilation and other harmful practices. (2015). from http://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/topics/fgm/prevalence/en/
Prevalence of female genital mutilation in Africa and Yemen (women aged 15 - 49) https://www.change.org/p/end-fgm-now-protect-girls-from-getting-cut-and-support-victims-of-female-genital-mutilation-in-the-usa
Prevalence of female genital mutilation by country. (n.d.). Retrieved April 5, 2015, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prevalence_of_female_genital_mutilation_by_country
Source: MICS, DHS and other national surveys, 1997-2006. Map developed by UNICEF, 2007
The Issue
Female Genital Mutilation is a Violation of Human Rights!
Your support by signing this petition will help raise awareness for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) that affects over 125 million girls worldwide in 29 different countries including Africa and the Middle East. Female Genital Mutilation is a violation of human rights and there are no health benefits to it as the practice is based on cultural rituals. This practice violates girls as coercion is often used by their family and communities to undergo this dangerous and painful surgery. There are many health risks involved in female circumcision including but not limited to bleeding, dysfunctional urination, later cysts, infections, infertility, increased risk of childbirth complications and increased of newborn death rate. Women are oppressed by FGM because it is an act of sexism used to maintain control of women’s sexuality and desires. In addition, women are labeled promiscuous and at risk for prostitution if they are not circumcised. Education and awareness act as a protective barrier to women at risk for FGM as women and their families understand the risks and lack of benefits involved in female circumcision. Raising awareness will help educate more women and families globally to ban the practice of Female Genital Mutilation.
What is Female Genital Mutilation?
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a destructive operation also known as female circumcision. FGM is a practice that involves the partial or total removal of the female genitalia often for cultural and social reasons with the purpose of inhibiting the women's sexual feelings. It is usually practiced by ethnic groups in around 30 countries of Africa and the Middle East. FGM is done as part of a cultural ritual to girls at young ages, usually between ages 4 and 15, by a traditional circumciser or "cutter" whom uses a knife or a razor under perilous unhygienic conditions and without the use of anesthesia. It is known that this practice has no medical purposes but negative consequences to the girls and women in these communities.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 125 million women alive today are affected by FGM worldwide. Several explanations are offered by the societies that practice FGM, one in which the societies' members believe it is imperative to adhere to cultural norms and tradition. These societies fear the consequences of not following tradition as societal pressures encourage them to continue the practice. Other explanations include cultural beliefs that the bride price is higher and a woman is more suitable for marriage if she is circumcised. Female circumcision is also a practice used to control women’s sexuality. As a consequence, traditional values override the risk that girls face when being circumcised.
There are 4 types of female circumcision, some of which are more severe and dangerous than others:
- Type I, Clitoridectomy: This procedure involves the removal of the clitoral hood or prepuce (partial) or the total removal of the clitoris with the prepuce.
- Type II, Excision: The clitoris, along with the labia minora is partially or totally removed.
- Type III, Infibulation: A severe form of circumcision where the Clitoridectomy and cutting of the outer edges of the labia majora are removed and then sewn back together to create a layer of scar tissue or covering seal. The seal is cut open and re-sewn during childbirth and sexual intercourse.
- Type IV, Other: All other harmful procedures in the genital area with no medical purposes such as pricking, piercing, scraping, or cauterizing.
The concept of culture and tradition is well-understood and appreciated in the context of health and social and physical well-being. However, FGM is an extreme form of discrimination against women and children. This global issue is internationally recognized without any doubt, as a VIOLATION OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS OF WOMEN AND GIRLS as it promotes inequality between sexes, it reduces to none-existing the right of the women to make their own decision about their bodies (babies and young girls are given no choice), and it can lead to many health and psychological issues, and even death. The PSYCHOLOGICAL, EMOTIONAL, AND PHYSICAL DAMAGE caused to these women in the countries where FGM is practiced can be traumatizing, distressing, and its effects last a lifetime in which the procedure is irreversible.
The Prevalence of Female Genital Mutilation
The earliest known record of FGM was in 25 B.C. discovered by a Greek geographer in Egypt. It is believed, however, that FGM had been practiced for centuries before this occasion. A report done by UNICEF in 2013 revealed that Somalia has the highest prevalence rate of FGM consisting of 98% of the female population surveying an instance of female circumcision. In Africa alone, there are 3 million girls at risk each year of undergoing this practice. Although the majority of cases occur in the Africa, the Middle East, and South-East Asia, immigration has spread this practice to Europe, the U.S, and Australia. In United States for instance, FGM was outlawed in 1996 (it carries a five-year prison term if convicted of performing the procedure on a female under the age of 18), but immigrants will have their daughters undergo this procedure while on vacation overseas (“vacation cutting”) or they will illegally practice the procedure within the U.S. territory in cities like New York, Washington, or Minneapolis. Although rates of FGM are dropping in countries like Iraq, Liberia, and Benin this practice still affects a large number of women all over the world, leading to emotional, physical, and psychological issues.
The impact of Female Genital Mutilation
Traditional circumcisers, who often play other central roles in communities such as attending childbirths, mostly carry out the practice. However, health care providers perform more than 18% of all FGM, and the trend towards medicalization is increasing. The practice also violates a person's rights to health, security and physical integrity, the right to be free from torture and cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment, and the right to life when the procedure results in death.
Complications Are Common and Can Lead to Death. The highest maternal and infant mortality rates are in FGM-practicing regions. The actual number of girls who die as a result of FGM is not known. However, in areas in the Sudan where antibiotics are not available, it is estimated that one-third of the girls undergoing FGM will die. Where medical facilities are ill-equipped, emergencies arising from the practice cannot be treated. Thus, a child who develops uncontrolled bleeding or infection after FGM may die within hours.
Immediate Physical Problems from FGM. Female Circumcision can cause intense pain and/or hemorrhage that can lead to shock during and after the procedure, anemia, and wound infections including tetanus. Victims of FGM are also at risk for experiencing urine retention from swelling and/or blockage of the urethra. A 1985 Sierra Leone study found that nearly 97 percent of the 269 women interviewed experienced intense pain during and after FGM, and more than 13 percent went into shock. A survey in a clinic outside of Freetown (Sierra Leone) showed that of 100 girls who were circumcised, 1 died and 12 required hospitalization. Of the 12 hospitalized, 10 suffered from bleeding and 5 from tetanus. Tetanus is fatal in 50 to 60 percent of all cases. Female circumcision also damages the adjoining organs from the use of blunt instruments by unskilled operators. According to a 1993 nationwide study in the Sudan, this occurs approximately 0.3 percent of the time.
Long-Term Complications of female genital mutilation. There are many long term health concerns for female genital mutilation including painful and/or blocked menses. In 1983, 55.4 percent of women surveyed in Baydhaba, Somalia, reported abnormal menstruation due to FGM. Women can also experience reoccurring urinary tract infections. A 1983 study in the Sudan revealed that 16.4 percent of women who had the operation experienced recurrent urinary tract infections. Physical ailments that form include abscesses, dermoid cysts, and keloid scars (hardening of the scars). There is an increased likelihood of maternal and child morbidity and mortality due to obstructed labor. Women who have undergone FGM are twice as likely to die during childbirth and are more likely to give birth to a stillborn child than other women. Obstructed labor can also cause brain damage to the infant and complications for the mother (including fistula formation, an abnormal opening between the vagina and the bladder or the vagina and the rectum, which can lead to incontinence). Among 33 infibulated mothers followed at Somalia's Benadir Hospital in 1988, all women required extensive episiotomies during childbirth. Their second-stage labor was 5 times longer than normal, 5 of their babies died, and 21 suffered oxygen deprivation because of the long, obstructed labor. An addition, women who survive FGM may become infertile later in life. In the Sudan, 20-25 percent of female infertility has been linked to FGM complications.
It is also report that FGM is likely to increase the risk of HIV infection – the same unsterilized instrument is also used on several girls at a time, increasing the chance of spreading HIV or another communicable disease.
The first time a woman has sex, the vagina opening is so small that it must be opened. Her partner may have to forcibly insert his penis in order to penetrate her, however, this is often difficult so she may have to be cut open before intercourse can happen (if this is done medically this is called de-infibulation). She will then have the painful experience of raw flesh being exposed during her first sexual experience. In the future, sex is likely to be incredibly painful for a woman as the scar tissue that surrounds the vaginal orifice will be rigid and inelastic.
Female genital cutting is also linked to a range of outcomes that negatively impact upon a girl’s socio-economic opportunities. Studies show that FGM is linked to girls dropping out of school at a young age. Many girls suffer from health problems, including severely painful menstruation and bleeding throughout the month, as well as significant trauma after the cut. This leads to frequent absence from school and poor performance. It is well documented that girls who drop out of school earlier go on to earn less and have less agency over choices of marriage and child planning when compared to their peers who have stayed in education for longer. As FGM is also a precursor to marriage, it is linked to instances of child marriage and early first pregnancy before a girl’s body is physically mature enough for birth.
Psychological and Emotional Impacts of FGM. The trauma and memory of being cut, as well as the pain a cut woman may experience throughout her life, especially during sexual experiences and child birth, are also likely to result in further distress. If a woman has undergone type 3 cutting (infibulation), she may relive the initial trauma when she is cut open and re-sewn for intercourse and at birth. A 2010 study about the experiences of cut girls in Iraqi Kurdistan found that: “All circumcised participants remembered the day of their circumcision as extremely frightening and traumatizing. Over 78% of the girls described feelings of intense fear, helplessness, horror, and severe pain. Over 74% were still suffering from intrusive re-experiences of their circumcision.” Studies reveal that girls who undergo FGM go on to experience lower self-esteem, more anxiety, and personality disorders than uncut girls of their age, as well as symptoms of depression. Sexual intercourse can be a painful and traumatic experience for women who have been cut. Women who have undergone type 3 infibulation have a hard plug of scar tissue where the soft opening of the vagina once was.
Our mission to end Female Genital Mutilation
Female Genital Mutilation is not a religious practice, nor is it performed for health reasons. It is known to cause anxiety, depression and PTSD due to the sheer brutality of the procedure. According to UNICEF, between 90-99% of females in Egypt, Somalia and Guinea had been victims of FGM as of 2014. We hope to bring awareness and action to the forefront with this petition. We would like to see more laws passed with harsher punishments in order to help to abolish this extremely inhumane and useless practice that is being performed on women and young girls. We would also like to re-label FGM as a crime with real victims and support any current or future initiations of new bills and laws concerning FGM that gives those who seek such practices as well as those who perform such practices time in prison and punishments similar to crimes like kidnapping and child abuse. Also, our goal is to develop rehabilitation services to those who had their rights violated. The abolishment of FGM would allow all cultures in the world to see happier, safer and healthier girls and young women. There would also be a massive decrease in fear of abuse and pain as well as a rise in personal strength and confidence.
Who we are sending our Petition to
This petition is addressed to women all across the world. All women should be involved in stopping female genital violation because of its inhumane nature as it also takes away a part of women’s femininity and the ownership to their own bodies. Additionally, victims continue to suffer the physical and mental agony for the rest of their lives. Part of the difficulty in recognizing and addressing the problem in the US is the lack of awareness and up-to-date research/statistics on the prevalence of FGM. This Female Genital Mutilation doesn’t only happen in other countries but here in our own home in the United States of America. The best way to create high awareness in U.S. is through the White House and the Department of Health and Human Services, to take the essential first step of commissioning a report on the current statistics of women in the US impacted by FGM and the girls at risk of being mutilated. Globally, we would also like to address this petition to the United Nations, not only to its principal organ the General Assembly, but also to the World Health Organization, UNESCO, and UNICEF, so we can stop his atrocious practice.
LET’S EDUCATE PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD AND GET THEM JOIN IN AGAINST FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION!
Please help us raise awareness and fight for a woman’s right to deny Female Genital Mutilation by signing this petition.
References:
Female genital mutilation and other harmful practices. (2015). from http://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/topics/fgm/prevalence/en/
Prevalence of female genital mutilation in Africa and Yemen (women aged 15 - 49) https://www.change.org/p/end-fgm-now-protect-girls-from-getting-cut-and-support-victims-of-female-genital-mutilation-in-the-usa
Prevalence of female genital mutilation by country. (n.d.). Retrieved April 5, 2015, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prevalence_of_female_genital_mutilation_by_country
Source: MICS, DHS and other national surveys, 1997-2006. Map developed by UNICEF, 2007
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Petition created on April 14, 2015