Female Genital Mutilation
is believed to have started in Egypt 2,000 years ago and spread from there. Only a few years ago, FGM was considered a cultural tradition, but now the United Nations has labeled it as a violation of human rights. Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, and the United States has declared grounds for seeking asylum and is a punishable offense (1).
Many of us never heard of until the story of Kauziya Kasinga, a woman from West Africa. Her father did not believe in polygamy, forced marriage, or "female circumcision". He died when she was 17 and the father's sister inherited the home, banished the mother, ended Fauziya's schooling, and arranged a marriage as a fourth wife to a man she had ...
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in his book, Sexuality and the Psychology of Love, that the "elimination of clitoral sexuality is a necessary precondition for the development of femininity. In 1979, the "Love Surgery" was performed on women in the United Sates. Dr. James Burt, the "Love Surgeon", introduced "clitoral relocation" (sunna circumcision) to the medical field. He believed and acted upon the idea that excision does not prevent sexual pleasure, but enhances it. Dr. Burt practiced in Ohio for almost ten years before he was exposed after which he gave up his license.
Clitoridectomy, also referred to as excision, removes the entire clitoris and the removal of the labia. Thirdly, there is a procedure called an infibulation. This is the most extreme form of circumcision, it consists of the removal of the clitoris, the labia, and the joining of the scraped sides of the vulva across the vagina, where they are secured with thorns or sewn with thread. A small opening is kept to allow passage of urine and ...
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CO reported in 1998 that at least 6,000 immigrants have settled in the area from African countries, which widely practices FGM. Dr. Terry Dunn, director of a women's clinic in that city commented: "I know of one patient where it was clear it was performed in this country." About 4 mutilation cases are seen each year at the clinic (5).
Female Genital Mutilation can be done at any age depending on the culture. Most cultures do it at the age of puberty; some do it at birth. The justification for the operation appears to be largely grounded in the desire to terminate or reduce feelings of sexual arousal in women so that they will be much less likely to engage in pre-marital ...
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Female Genital Mutilation. (2008, August 5). Retrieved November 23, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Female-Genital-Mutilation/87840
"Female Genital Mutilation." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 5 Aug. 2008. Web. 23 Nov. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Female-Genital-Mutilation/87840>
"Female Genital Mutilation." Essayworld.com. August 5, 2008. Accessed November 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Female-Genital-Mutilation/87840.
"Female Genital Mutilation." Essayworld.com. August 5, 2008. Accessed November 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Female-Genital-Mutilation/87840.
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