Female Circumcision in African Countries :: Female Circumcision Culture Essays

Female circumcision is a horrifying procedure that can be defined as the removal of the clitoris on the personate of a female. The surgery is often accompanied by ceremonies intended to honor and welcome the girls into their communities. It can be observed in parts of Northern Africa and gray Arabia where many girls undergo ritual surgery involving removal of parts of their external genitalia. About eighty million living women have had this surgery, and an additional four or five million girls undergo it each year (Kouba and Muasher). This tradition is prevalent and deeply embedded in many countries, including Ethiopia, the Sudan, Somalia, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Tanzania, Central African Republic, Chad, Gambia, Liberia, Mali, Senegal, Eritrea, os Coast, Upper Volta, Mauritania, Nigeria, Mozambique, Botswana, Lesotho, and Egypt (Abdalla). It is usually performed between infancy and puberty. From a Western point of view, it may seem unnecessary and vulgar. However, these ancient pra ctices hold significant meaning to the slew who practice it. They are supposed to promote chastity, religion, group identity, cleanliness, health, family values, and marriage goals. Although it is conducted with good intentions, tragically, the usual ways of performing these surgeries deny women sexual orgasms, cause significant unwholesomeness or mortality among women and children, and strain the over-burdened health care placements in these developing countries. These practices are often referred to as female circumcision, but those who wish to stop them progressively use the description female genital mutilation. My paper give explore the various forms of female genital mutilation, its deep association with the patrilineal system in Africa, and the efforts to stop this tragedy. Impalpable cultural clashes explode when people from societies practicing genital mutilation settle in other parts of the world and bring these rites with them. For example, it is practiced by Muslim groups in the Philippines, Malaysia, Pakistan, Indonesia, Europe, and North America (Kluge). It is obvious that when different cultures are forced to live a similar life side by side, differences will occur. However, it is difficult to observe and accept any form of physical, mental or emotional abuse. In this particular case, the issue is addressed towards female genital mutilation which is strongly involved with all the forms of abuse. It is most common for parents to use traditional practitioners but there are some who seek medical facilities to reduce the morbidity or mortality of this genital surgery.