_Mama
leaned over and whispered, "Try to be a good girl, baby. Be brave
for Mama, and it'll go fast."
I peered between my legs and saw the gypsy. The old woman looked at me sternly, a dead look in her eyes, then foraged through an old carpet-bag. She reached inside with her long fingers and fished out a broken razor blade. I saw dried blood on the jagged edge. She spit on it and wiped it on her dress. While she was scrubbing, my world went dark as Mama tied a blindfold over my eyes. The next thing I felt was my flesh being cut away. I heard the blade sawing back and forth through my skin. The feeling was indescribable. I didn't move, telling myself the more I did, the longer the torture would take. Unfortunately, my legs began to quiver and shake uncontrollably of their own accord, and I prayed, Please, God, let it be over quickly. Soon it was, because I passed out. When I woke up, my blindfold was off and I saw the gypsy woman had piled a stack of thorns from an acacia tree next to her. She used these to puncture holes in my skin, then poked a strong white thread through the holes to sew me up. My legs were completely numb, but the pain between them was so intense that I wished I would die. My memory ends at that instant, until I opened my eyes and the woman was gone. My legs had been tied together with strips of cloth binding me from my ankles to my hips so I couldn't move. I turned my head toward the rock; it was drenched with blood as if an animal had been slaughtered there. Pieces of my flesh lay on top, drying in the sun.Waves of heat beat down on my face, until my mother and older sister, Aman, dragged me into the shade of a bush while they finished making a shelter for me. This was the tradition; a little hut was prepared under a tree, where I would rest and recuperate alone for the next few weeks. After hours of waiting, I was dying to relieve myself. I called my sister, who rolled me over on my side and scooped out a little hole in the sand. "Go ahead," she said. The first drop stung as if my skin were being eaten by acid. After the gypsy sewed me up, the only opening left for urine-and later for menstrual blood-was a minuscule hole the diameter of a matchstick. As the days dragged on and I lay in my hut, I became infected and ran a high fever. I faded in and out of consciousness. Mama brought me food and water for the next two weeks. Lying there alone with my legs still tied, I could do nothing but wonder, why? What was it all for? At that age I didn't understand anything about sex. All I knew was that I had been butchered with my mother's permission. I suffered as a result of my circumcision, but I was lucky. Many girls die from bleeding to death, shock, infection or tetanus. Considering the conditions in which the procedure is performed, it's surprising that any of us survive. Waris Dirie
I peered between my legs and saw the gypsy. The old woman looked at me sternly, a dead look in her eyes, then foraged through an old carpet-bag. She reached inside with her long fingers and fished out a broken razor blade. I saw dried blood on the jagged edge. She spit on it and wiped it on her dress. While she was scrubbing, my world went dark as Mama tied a blindfold over my eyes. The next thing I felt was my flesh being cut away. I heard the blade sawing back and forth through my skin. The feeling was indescribable. I didn't move, telling myself the more I did, the longer the torture would take. Unfortunately, my legs began to quiver and shake uncontrollably of their own accord, and I prayed, Please, God, let it be over quickly. Soon it was, because I passed out. When I woke up, my blindfold was off and I saw the gypsy woman had piled a stack of thorns from an acacia tree next to her. She used these to puncture holes in my skin, then poked a strong white thread through the holes to sew me up. My legs were completely numb, but the pain between them was so intense that I wished I would die. My memory ends at that instant, until I opened my eyes and the woman was gone. My legs had been tied together with strips of cloth binding me from my ankles to my hips so I couldn't move. I turned my head toward the rock; it was drenched with blood as if an animal had been slaughtered there. Pieces of my flesh lay on top, drying in the sun.Waves of heat beat down on my face, until my mother and older sister, Aman, dragged me into the shade of a bush while they finished making a shelter for me. This was the tradition; a little hut was prepared under a tree, where I would rest and recuperate alone for the next few weeks. After hours of waiting, I was dying to relieve myself. I called my sister, who rolled me over on my side and scooped out a little hole in the sand. "Go ahead," she said. The first drop stung as if my skin were being eaten by acid. After the gypsy sewed me up, the only opening left for urine-and later for menstrual blood-was a minuscule hole the diameter of a matchstick. As the days dragged on and I lay in my hut, I became infected and ran a high fever. I faded in and out of consciousness. Mama brought me food and water for the next two weeks. Lying there alone with my legs still tied, I could do nothing but wonder, why? What was it all for? At that age I didn't understand anything about sex. All I knew was that I had been butchered with my mother's permission. I suffered as a result of my circumcision, but I was lucky. Many girls die from bleeding to death, shock, infection or tetanus. Considering the conditions in which the procedure is performed, it's surprising that any of us survive. Waris Dirie
_
Health Consequence attributed to FGM
It is estimated that approximately 100-140 million African women have undergone FGM worldwide and each year, a further 3 million girls are estimated to be at risk of the practice in Africa alone. Most of them live in African countries, a few in the Middle East and Asian countries, and increasingly in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, the United States of America and Canada.
FGM is a procedure which causes a number of health problems for women and girls.
There is a great deal of evidence indicating extremely detrimental long- and short-term
health consequences. There is little documentation on the social, psychological and
psycho-sexual effects of the practice, but it is clear, from anecdotal evidence of women’s experiences, that FGM affects women adversely in these areas of their lives.
In the majority of cases FGM is performed with crude instruments, by untrained and elderly circumcisors, and with no anaesthetic. Often iodine or a mixture of herbs is placed on the wound to tighten the vagina and stop the bleeding.
Type I: excision of prepuce, maybe with excision of all/part of clitoris
Type II: excision of the prepuce and the clitoris, with the removal of all or part of the labia minora
The short-term health consequences include:
• extreme pain and shock (neurogenic shock)
• severe blood loss, possible haemorrhage
• infection of wound
• possible HIV infection
• death (WHO estimates that the child mortality rate as a result of FGM is high).
Type III: (infibulation) excision of all/part of the female genitalia and
narrowing/stitching of the vaginal opening.
For short-term consequences see above.
• blood infections
• infection may spread to cause problems
with uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries
• chronic pelvic infection
• infertility
• urine retention
• incontinence
• urinary tract infections
• permanent damage to reproductive
organs
The long-term health consequences include:
• vulval abscesses due to infected cysts
• keloid cysts, dermoid cysts
• vesico-vaginal and recto-vaginal fistulae
• painful sexual intercourse
• psychological problems
• difficulties in menstruation
• retention of menstrual blood.
Problems with pregnancy
• miscarried foetus may be retained in
birth canal
• obstructed labour, resulting in fistulae.
• vulval abscesses due to infected cysts
• keloid cysts, dermoid cysts
• vesico-vaginal and recto-vaginal fistulae
• painful sexual intercourse
• psychological problems
• difficulties in menstruation
• retention of menstrual blood.
Later surgery: Infibulations must be opened (defibulation) later in life to enable penetration during sexual intercourse and for childbirth. In some countries it is usual to follow this by re-closure (reinfibulation), and hence the need for repeated defibulation later. Re-closure is also reportedly done on other occasions.(26)
Urinary and menstrual problems :
Slow and painful menstruation and urination can result from the near-complete sealing off of the vagina and urethra. Haematocolpus may need surgical intervention(28). Dribbling of urine is common in infibulated women, probably due to both difficulties in emptying the bladder and stagnation of urine under the hood of scar tissue
Painful sexual intercourse : As the infibulation must be opened up either surgically or through penetrative sex, sexual intercourse is frequently painful during the first few weeks after sexual initiation(30). The male partner can also experience pain and complications
Infertility : The association between female genital mutilation and infertility is due mainly to cutting of the labia majora, as evidence suggests that the more tissue that is removed, the higher the risk for infection.
Keloid: Excessive scar tissue may form at the site of the cutting(17).
Reproductive tract infections and sexually transmitted infections: An increased frequency of certain genital infections, including bacterial vaginosis has been documented(18). Some studies have documented an increased risk for genital herpes, but no association has been found with other sexually transmitted infections(19).
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV): An increased risk for bleeding during intercourse, which is often the case when defibulation is necessary (Type III), may increase the risk for HIV transmission. The increased prevalence of herpes in women subjected to female genital mutilation may also increase the risk for HIV infection, as genital herpes is a risk factor in the transmission of HIV.
Psycho-sexual, psychological and social consequences of FGM
Anecdotal evidence suggests that FGM carries with it a number of psycho-sexual and social complications. The procedure is accompanied very often by a ceremony, which brings with it personal pride and a sense of becoming a woman, for example among the Kamba, Meru and Luya tribes of Kenya. It is thought that the trauma of FGM is accompanied by associated meanings, which combine to shape the feminine self. Women who have undergone FGM establish an identity, which shapes their roles in society. It is therefore, a form of social conditioning, which actually prescribes gender identity and normalises pain for women. A woman’s sexuality is affected as much by the meanings and social processes which are associated with the practice of FGM, as by the act of cutting and the physical damage.In many cases it is women who perpetuate the practice of FGM because it forms a large
part of their self-perception and their social and gender identity, which they wish to pass on to future generations.
Effects of FGM on women’s sexuality
Much of the qualitative research which has been undertaken into the effect of circumcision on the sexuality of women has suggested that all types of FGM inhibit the sexual fulfilment and pleasure of women.Sexual relations with men can become very strained. The man may have to cut the scar formed by infibulation before penetration can take place. Although in southern Somalia and Sudan it is considered a sign of virility and masculinity to penetrate a woman forcefully, it has had negative effects on some men, causing them to become impotent. A lack of sexual pleasure for both parties can result in husbands having extramarital affairs with women who are not circumcised.
For further readings, go to:
"They Took Me and Told Me Nothing" http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/wrd0610webwcover.pdf
Waris Dirie Story http://home.honolulu.hawaii.edu/~pine/Phil110/waris-dirie.html
World Health Organizationhttp://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs241/en/
WomensHealth.govhttp://www.womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/female-genital-cutting.cfm
It is estimated that approximately 100-140 million African women have undergone FGM worldwide and each year, a further 3 million girls are estimated to be at risk of the practice in Africa alone. Most of them live in African countries, a few in the Middle East and Asian countries, and increasingly in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, the United States of America and Canada.
FGM is a procedure which causes a number of health problems for women and girls.
There is a great deal of evidence indicating extremely detrimental long- and short-term
health consequences. There is little documentation on the social, psychological and
psycho-sexual effects of the practice, but it is clear, from anecdotal evidence of women’s experiences, that FGM affects women adversely in these areas of their lives.
In the majority of cases FGM is performed with crude instruments, by untrained and elderly circumcisors, and with no anaesthetic. Often iodine or a mixture of herbs is placed on the wound to tighten the vagina and stop the bleeding.
Type I: excision of prepuce, maybe with excision of all/part of clitoris
Type II: excision of the prepuce and the clitoris, with the removal of all or part of the labia minora
The short-term health consequences include:
• extreme pain and shock (neurogenic shock)
• severe blood loss, possible haemorrhage
• infection of wound
• possible HIV infection
• death (WHO estimates that the child mortality rate as a result of FGM is high).
Type III: (infibulation) excision of all/part of the female genitalia and
narrowing/stitching of the vaginal opening.
For short-term consequences see above.
• blood infections
• infection may spread to cause problems
with uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries
• chronic pelvic infection
• infertility
• urine retention
• incontinence
• urinary tract infections
• permanent damage to reproductive
organs
The long-term health consequences include:
• vulval abscesses due to infected cysts
• keloid cysts, dermoid cysts
• vesico-vaginal and recto-vaginal fistulae
• painful sexual intercourse
• psychological problems
• difficulties in menstruation
• retention of menstrual blood.
Problems with pregnancy
• miscarried foetus may be retained in
birth canal
• obstructed labour, resulting in fistulae.
• vulval abscesses due to infected cysts
• keloid cysts, dermoid cysts
• vesico-vaginal and recto-vaginal fistulae
• painful sexual intercourse
• psychological problems
• difficulties in menstruation
• retention of menstrual blood.
Later surgery: Infibulations must be opened (defibulation) later in life to enable penetration during sexual intercourse and for childbirth. In some countries it is usual to follow this by re-closure (reinfibulation), and hence the need for repeated defibulation later. Re-closure is also reportedly done on other occasions.(26)
Urinary and menstrual problems :
Slow and painful menstruation and urination can result from the near-complete sealing off of the vagina and urethra. Haematocolpus may need surgical intervention(28). Dribbling of urine is common in infibulated women, probably due to both difficulties in emptying the bladder and stagnation of urine under the hood of scar tissue
Painful sexual intercourse : As the infibulation must be opened up either surgically or through penetrative sex, sexual intercourse is frequently painful during the first few weeks after sexual initiation(30). The male partner can also experience pain and complications
Infertility : The association between female genital mutilation and infertility is due mainly to cutting of the labia majora, as evidence suggests that the more tissue that is removed, the higher the risk for infection.
Keloid: Excessive scar tissue may form at the site of the cutting(17).
Reproductive tract infections and sexually transmitted infections: An increased frequency of certain genital infections, including bacterial vaginosis has been documented(18). Some studies have documented an increased risk for genital herpes, but no association has been found with other sexually transmitted infections(19).
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV): An increased risk for bleeding during intercourse, which is often the case when defibulation is necessary (Type III), may increase the risk for HIV transmission. The increased prevalence of herpes in women subjected to female genital mutilation may also increase the risk for HIV infection, as genital herpes is a risk factor in the transmission of HIV.
Psycho-sexual, psychological and social consequences of FGM
Anecdotal evidence suggests that FGM carries with it a number of psycho-sexual and social complications. The procedure is accompanied very often by a ceremony, which brings with it personal pride and a sense of becoming a woman, for example among the Kamba, Meru and Luya tribes of Kenya. It is thought that the trauma of FGM is accompanied by associated meanings, which combine to shape the feminine self. Women who have undergone FGM establish an identity, which shapes their roles in society. It is therefore, a form of social conditioning, which actually prescribes gender identity and normalises pain for women. A woman’s sexuality is affected as much by the meanings and social processes which are associated with the practice of FGM, as by the act of cutting and the physical damage.In many cases it is women who perpetuate the practice of FGM because it forms a large
part of their self-perception and their social and gender identity, which they wish to pass on to future generations.
Effects of FGM on women’s sexuality
Much of the qualitative research which has been undertaken into the effect of circumcision on the sexuality of women has suggested that all types of FGM inhibit the sexual fulfilment and pleasure of women.Sexual relations with men can become very strained. The man may have to cut the scar formed by infibulation before penetration can take place. Although in southern Somalia and Sudan it is considered a sign of virility and masculinity to penetrate a woman forcefully, it has had negative effects on some men, causing them to become impotent. A lack of sexual pleasure for both parties can result in husbands having extramarital affairs with women who are not circumcised.
For further readings, go to:
"They Took Me and Told Me Nothing" http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/wrd0610webwcover.pdf
Waris Dirie Story http://home.honolulu.hawaii.edu/~pine/Phil110/waris-dirie.html
World Health Organizationhttp://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs241/en/
WomensHealth.govhttp://www.womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/female-genital-cutting.cfm