Isn't it sad that in this day and age so many archaic
traditions are still being undertaken by tribes, nations, and peoples of all
races and creeds, particularly at the cost of women's well-being? Female genital mutilation (or FGM) is the practice of (according to a recent article highlighted by FIGO: The
International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics) girls as young as age four having a female circumcision forced upon them.
Can you imagine? Not even being able to describe pain to an adult and having the most sensitive area of your genitalia removed without any anesthesia whatsoever? I hate to be graphic, but this is meant to get you enraged about this issue as I am--as we all need to be.
Statistics show that every 11 seconds, somewhere in the world a girl is suffering from FGM.
Can you imagine? Not even being able to describe pain to an adult and having the most sensitive area of your genitalia removed without any anesthesia whatsoever? I hate to be graphic, but this is meant to get you enraged about this issue as I am--as we all need to be.
Statistics show that every 11 seconds, somewhere in the world a girl is suffering from FGM.
In an article, “FGM being conducted on girls aged 4,” the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics describes a girl, having not even had her first period yet, who is subjected to a procedure that
accounts for “some of the 8,000 nerve endings in her clitoris...cut, [so that] she
screamed out hysterically, but nobody came to her aid--not even her own
mother.” Stunning, and so very scary - especially considering that this has already been
happening for the past several centuries in countries like Somalia, Eritrea, and more.
Something must be done to stop this epidemic. Early awareness by such celebrities as Calista
Flockhart and Ashley Judd in the early 2000’s and late 1990’s gained some exposure for the cause. But so much more needs to be done.
Africa has the greatest amount of FGM, as the World Health Organization believes that somewhere between 100 million and 140 million women and girls about have undergone the surgery throughout the world, 92 million of them over the age of ten living in Africa. Female Genital Mutilation has been outlawed in Britain, Canada, France, Norway, Sweeden, Switzerland, and the United States.
All girls and women deserve their full God-given right of their bodies intact, and full female expression. To learn more and get involved, visit Stop FGM Now.
