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Waris Dirie | FGM vs Circumcision

Ariana Rivera

SOMALIA - Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is one of the most egregious women's rights abuses globally. It is a subject that is hard to discuss because of its intimate, sexual and graphic nature.

However, it is precisely because of the lifelong psychological and physical effects this barbaric practice has on its innocent and unwilling victims that it is incumbent upon us to publicize this abuse until it is eradicated.

This issue was first brought to the public's attention by Waris Dirie, Somalian author, activist, and victim of FGM, when she published her memoir titled 'Desert Flower.' The book was subsequently made into a movie in 2009, and Liya Kebede, an Ethiopian supermodel, played Waris Dirie in the heart-wrenching but ultimately a victorious story of survival.

Initially, when we featured a post about this topic, several readers commented about male circumcision and how this is just as barbaric as FGM and should also be classified as a human rights abuse.

Though any type of unwanted genital mutilation is indeed a crime, the significant differences between male circumcision and FGM are as follows:

    1. Most boys are circumcised at birth, or in the case of Jews and some Muslims, on the 8th day of life;

    2. Men who are circumcised later in life often elect to have this procedure for personal, religious, or health reasons;

    3. The surgery is performed in a sterile environment, usually under anesthesia;

    4. Male circumcision is usually performed in a non-invasive manner that ultimately results in few if any adverse psychological effects.

By comparison, FGM has more in common and correlates best to physical castration in men.

    1. Girls who undergo FGM (aka female circumcision) are forcibly mutilated anywhere between 13 and 15 years of age;

    2. The 'procedure' occurs without anesthesia in unsanitary environments;

    3. Rusty razor blades, old knives, or shards of glass are used to cut the flesh;

    4. The clitoris and the inner and outer labia are torn away;

    5. Finally, the wound is crudely stitched together and must be cut open for sex and childbirth.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are benefits to men and boys becoming circumcised, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa.

"Strong evidence from Africa indicates that circumcision reduces the risk of HIV infection in heterosexual men by 38-66%, and studies have concluded it is cost effective in sub-Saharan Africa. The World Health Organization (WHO) currently recommends circumcision be recognized as an intervention as part of a comprehensive program for prevention of HIV transmission in areas with high endemic rates of HIV." (Source: WHO)

The effects of FGM are profoundly debilitating and deleterious to women's reproductive health and serve no useful purpose. It is a practice deeply rooted in misogyny, tyranny, and the concept of women as chattel.

Men who have been circumcised can still enjoy a robust sex life filled with numerous encounters, whereas women who have undergone FGM must suffer immense pain to remove the sutures. As one can imagine, sexual intercourse thereafter would be excruciating.

In Europe, between the 16th and 17th centuries, the 'Chastity Belt' was developed to prohibit women from having sexual intercourse. This device was also a contrivance of men desiring to control the sexuality of women in their societies.  A 'Chastity Belt' was infinitely less egregious than FGM but a women's rights violation.

Surprisingly, FGM procedures are rising in Western nations such as the United Kingdom.  It is easy for most people to acquiesce in the face of such a daunting problem occurring halfway across the world. It is also more comfortable to believe that this is an Islamic problem though FGM is not prescribed in the Quran.

It is easiest to effect change in one's backyard. Thus, in Western societies where there are no health reasons to recommend FGM, it is up to the medical establishment and authorities to intervene and halt these procedures.

Misogyny, like rape, is less about the object of abuse, in this case, women, and more about control. The net result of FGM is that it diminishes all women everywhere, even if it hasn't personally impacted your life or those of your friends and family.

Follow Nahmias Cipher Report on Twitter Twitter: @nahmias_report Editor-in-Chief: @ayannanahmias

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