After the traumatic operation, due to loose of blood, the women black out for days and are immobilized for weeks due to the immense pain. A male equivalence of these operations would be cutting the head of the penis off. The girls are told to never speak of this taboo subject or their painful experience again. I knew that I wasn't supposed to tell of my pain to anyone. Dari was only 6 years old when she was mutilated.
Some women even become infertile.
Childbirth is almost fatal for both the newborn baby and mother and to the malformation of the birth canal, the baby risks getting it's head crushed. Throughout history different methods have been used to ensure a women's virginity such as the famous European chastity belt during the 12th century, but none of these methods have ever been so crude. There are theories that claim male circumcision is preformed to demonstrate the father's demand for obedience from his sons, however this does not apply for female circumcision as a female does not threaten the father's possession of the mother as a sexual object. She is considered sexually dubious and unfit to marry, as she is full of sexual desire. Regardless, the risk of HIV is heightened due to the tearing of the wounds during intercourse.