Cultural and Religious Practices, the Lack of Educational Resources, and their Role in the Perpetuation of Female Genital Mutilation

Some form of female genital mutilation or circumcision takes place in most countries in Africa. This project aims to show that male dominance, culture, tradition, religion and ignorance of basic human rights play a pivotal role in the perpetuation of female genital mutilation or circumcision. I will endeavor to bring to the forefront the problems government officials face when they try to abolish the practice; I will also discuss the complications and challenges the understaffed, overworked, ill-prepared medical faculties face when dealing with women who have undergone this procedure of female genital mutilation or circumcision. This article is available in The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research: http://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/ur/vol6/iss1/8 Cultural and Religious Practices, the Lack of Educational Resources, and their Role in the Perpetuation of Female Genital Mutilation By Claudelle Clarke Abstract Some form of female genital mutilation or circumcision takes place in most countries in Africa. This project aims to show that male dominance, culture, tradition, religion and ignorance of basic human rights play a pivotal role in the perpetuation of female genital mutilation or circumcision. I will endeavor to bring to the forefront the problems government officials face when they try to abolish the practice; I will also discuss the complications and challenges the understaffed, overworked, illprepared medical faculties face when dealing with women who have undergone this procedure ofSome form of female genital mutilation or circumcision takes place in most countries in Africa. This project aims to show that male dominance, culture, tradition, religion and ignorance of basic human rights play a pivotal role in the perpetuation of female genital mutilation or circumcision. I will endeavor to bring to the forefront the problems government officials face when they try to abolish the practice; I will also discuss the complications and challenges the understaffed, overworked, illprepared medical faculties face when dealing with women who have undergone this procedure of female genital mutilation or circumcision. Introduction I first became aware of female genital mutilation in the tenth grade of high school. I was sitting with a friend of mine from Nigeria and I just showered her with questions about her country and their cultural practices. She told me her mother ran from her country and sought asylum in the U.S.A. She was hesitant to tell me why. Finally, after telling her about my culture, we found out that we shared some similarities; it was then she told me that she had lost her best friend because of female genital mutilation. She did not know what happened, and she was not sure which of the procedures was performed on her friend. But she had a hunch. Her mother, not willing to put her children through the procedure, packed her bags and took her and her sister Victoria and fled. She has not been back since; to the rest of her family, she, her mother, and her sister are now outcasts. Her father recently took a new wife to fill her mother's spot. Author Rose Weitz, in her book The Sociology of Health, Illness and Health Care (2001), claims that over 130 million girls and women across Africa, as well as Malaysia, Indonesia, and Yemen experience female genital mutilation and about two million girls and women are circumcised and severely disfigured, even young babies who are forced to undergo this process. Africa is so full of life with its rich traditions, yet these traditions and cultural practices are so painful for so many, especially females. Female genital mutilation has been and continues to be a force that cripples African women. There has been and continues to be overwhelming fear that has been ingrained in women because of the ritual of female genital mutilation. Female circumcision is not just practiced in one part of Africa; the map (Figure 1) shows that some form of circumcision goes on in every country in Africa. No country is exempt from this gruesome and widespread practice. •>M Areas where most women are infibulated Circumcision and excision widespread in some groups Y// Some cases reported