It is a partial or complete cessation of the external female genitalia. Female circumcision usually takes place as an element of transitional ceremonies during periods when young girls are preparing for femininity and marriage. It has been actively practiced for centuries, especially in the main regions of Africa. It is generally performed by general practitioners who have little or no knowledge of human anatomy and medicine without anesthesia under septic conditions. While female circumcision causes extremely severe pain, it also causes death and permanent health problems. Despite these serious risks, the places that practice it see it as inseparable from cultural and ethnic identity. For some, it is also a religious obligation.

At the same time, those who are against female genital slaughter repeatedly emphasize that the practice is extremely harmful to women’s health and well-being. Some see female genital mutilation as a ritualized form of child abuse and violence against women and a violation of human rights.

The debate about female genital mutilation is still a new issue. This practice was rarely talked about in Africa until the second half of the current century. The West knew very little about this situation. Especially in the 1950s and 1960s, African activists and doctors brought the health consequences of female genital mutilation to the attention of international organizations such as the United Nations and the World Health Organization (WHO). However, despite all this, no official policy statement was made until 1979. The World Health Organization has recommended seminars on Khartoum to address traditional practices that also affect the health of women and children. At the same time, necessary recommendations were made to eliminate this practice.

In the 10 years following all these developments, the widespread silence surrounding female genital mutilation has been broken. Women’s organizations in Africa met in Dakar, Senegal in 1984 to discuss female genital mutilation and other harmful cultural practices. Later, the Inter-African Committee against Harmful Traditional Practices was established. The IAC, which includes more than 20 countries, has carefully presented the harmful effects of female genital mutilation to African governments. In this sense, it is a very important organization that has been established. At the same time, African women’s organizations, which are primarily focused on issues such as reproductive health, women’s rights, and legal justice, have been involved in the work against the practices. He was also involved in bands such as the Mandalaeo Ya Wanawake in Kenya.

With these groups bringing a new perspective to the situation, the emphasis in the debate on female genital mutilation has changed to include women’s health in addition to both their human and reproductive rights. There are many international declarations of understanding and conventions, such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of Children. All of them began to contain the language that applies to female circumcision. However, these documents did not directly mention the application as content. Instead, it has focused on broad categories such as harmful practices, violence, and rights violations.

Upon the changes in emphasis, a new language has emerged on this subject. Activists and officeians have continued to refer to female genital mutilation while working directly with women in the community. They began to use the term “female genital mutilation” in policy statements and other documents. The term was used in the first international document to specifically address the practice in the Programme of Action adopted by the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo in 1994. These programs express female genital mutilation as a violation of fundamental rights. It also calls on governments to urgently ban and stop wherever they are.

On the Platform of the Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing in 1955, female genital mutilation was shown as both a threat to women’s reproductive health and a violation of their human rights. While the platform made general recommendations, it also called on governments to enact laws specifically against those who commit these acts. The Platform condemning female genital mutilation was led by Africans.

What are the 4 main types of FGM?

Female circumcision consists of 4 types. These:

• Type 1 (clitoridectomy) – removal of part or all of the clitoris.
• Type 2 (excise) – Removal of part or all of the clitoris and inner labia (lips surrounding the vagina). It is also the process of removing larger parts of the outer lip, called labia majora, with or without removal of them.
• Type 3 (infibulation) – occurs by cutting and repositioning the labia. A seal is created and the vaginal opening is narrowed.
• Many harmful procedures against the female genitals, including puncturing, cutting, scraping, or burning the area, are included in this practice.

FGM is generally performed by traditional circumcisions who do not have any medical training. It is known that in some countries it is also done by medical professionals. Anesthetics and antiseptics are usually not used during these procedures. FGM is generally an operation using knives, scissors, scalpels, glass pieces, or razors. FGM is also a procedure that is done against a girl’s will without her consent. During this process, the girls are forcibly captured.

What age is female genital mutilation mostly?

Female circumcision is applied to young girls between the ages of infancy and 15 years. Most commonly it is carried out before the onset of puberty. In the UK, this is completely illegal and child abuse. It was not a very painful application and it was a procedure that seriously harmed women’s health. It is also a procedure that can cause long-term problems such as sexuality, childbirth, and mental health.

What is genital mutilation?

Female circumcision is a practice that involves the replacement and injury of the female sexual organ for non-medical reasons. At the international level, it is recognized as a violation of human rights. It is estimated that 200 million girls and women worldwide are subjected to female genital mutilation. Although the practice is generally decreasing in countries where it is widespread, many of them are also experiencing high population growth. If the practice continues at current levels, it means that the number of girls undergoing female genital mutilation will continue to increase day by day.

UNFPA said 68 million girls were at risk of hiding between 2015 and 2030. According to statistics, more recent research estimates that up to two million girls are at risk of this harmful practice. In this sense, a significant effort is needed to accelerate the protection of girls and the elimination of this harmful and often deadly practice.

Coordinated and systematic efforts are needed to end female genital mutilation, involving all communities, and focusing on human rights and gender equality. In this sense, women and girls who have been exposed to the practice and its consequences must be urgently addressed in terms of their sexual and reproductive health needs.

Where is female mutilation still practiced?

Female circumcision continues to be practiced today in at least 28 countries extending from the equator to north and central Africa. It is not located outside of Egypt over South Africa or in the Arabic-speaking countries of North Africa. No religion requires female genital mutilation. However, it seems that it was made even among Muslims, Christians, Animists, and Jews.

The availability of reliable figures on the prevalence of female genital mutilation has also increased greatly in recent times. In the Demographic and Health Survey program, net national data were collected for 6 countries.

• Central African Republic
• Ivory Coast
• Egypt
• Erire Province
• Mali
• Sudan

In these countries, between 43% and 97% of women of reproductive age have been circumcised. Prevalence within countries also varies between ethnic groups. For example; While the overall average of circumcised women is 94% in Mali, only 17% of women of Tamackek ethnicity have been circumcised.

Estimates for other countries generally come from local research and anecdotal information. The estimated proportion of circumcised women in these countries varies from 5% in Uganda and Congo to 98% in Djibouti and Somalia. Wide differences in prevalence, both socially and in demographic subgroups, can be interpreted by taking these figures into account.

Can FGM get pregnant?

Women who have had female circumcision may have difficulty getting pregnant. Even those who become pregnant may experience serious problems during their birth. If you are expecting a baby, at your appointment before birth, the midwife should ask you whether you have had female genital mutilation or not. If you have had female circumcision, you can inform your midwife and ensure that you receive appropriate care.

In which 5 countries is FGM widely practiced?

Female Circumcision is generally seen widely in African countries. Apart from this, some countries practice female circumcision in Asian countries. The countries with the highest rates among them are:

• Djibouti
• Guinea
• Ethiopia
• Somalia
• Sudan

Djibouti

The prevalence rates of female genital mutilation in Djibouti vary between 93% and 98% as an estimate. According to a UNICEF report, Djibouti has the second highest Type III FGM rate in the world. Approximately two-thirds of all Djiboutian women have undergone this procedure. Type I is the most common form of female circumcision practiced in the country. In Djibouti, a large proportion of women are subjected to re-informatization after childbirth and divorce.

Two-thirds of the women in the country claimed that tradition and religion were the primary structures used to expose them to FGM. In Djibouti, a predominantly Muslim country, Islamic religious loyalists actively support it, while others oppose it. Female genital mutilation is prohibited in the country’s revised Penal Code, which came into force in April 1995. Article 333 of the penal code The article stipulates that persons found guilty of this practice shall serve 5 years in prison.

Ethiopia

The World Health Organization reported that in 2016, the prevalence of female genital mutilation in women aged 15 to 49 years was 65%. Between the ages of 15 and 19, it dropped to 47%. A UNICEF 2016 report also reported on Ethiopia’s regional prevalence of female genital mutilation. It differs over the Afar region by 92%, the Somali region by 98%, Dire Dawa by 75%, Amhara by 1.4% by 21%, and the Southern region by 62%. At the same time, changes are seen in Ethiopia according to religion. Female genital mutilation occurs in 92% of Muslim women. In other religions, it is lower. FGM was declared illegal by the Criminal Code in 2004.

Guinea

Guinea has the second-highest prevalence rate of female genital mutilation in the world. According to surveys conducted in 2005, 96% of all Guinean women between the ages of 15 and 49 have been circumcised. The FGM rate experienced a slight decrease compared to the rate recorded in 1999. The circumcision rate, which was 98% in 1999, has declined. The prevalence between the ages of 15 and 19 is 89%. Those between the ages of 20 and 24 have 95%. Approximately 50% of women in Guinea believe that FGM is a religious requirement. Guinea is also a predominantly Muslim country in terms of population. All religions in Guinea have high rates of female genital mutilation. Female genital mutilation is common in 99% of Muslim women, 94% of Catholics and Protestants, and 93% of Animist women.

FGM is governed by Article 265 of the Criminal Code in Guinea. According to the article, it was considered illegal. If a woman dies within 40 days of being circumcised, the law imposes the death penalty on the perpetrator. Guinea ratified the Maputo Protocol in 2003 but did not sign it. Article 305 of the Guinean Criminal Code The clause also prohibits FGM. However, no one has yet been convicted in Guinea under laws related to FGM.

Somalia

FGM is an almost universal practice in Somalia. Many women are subjected to infibulation, which is the worst form of female genital mutilation. In 2005, the WHO estimated that approximately 97.9% of women in Somalia were exposed to FGM. These rates are one of the most common rates of the procedure in the world at that time. In a 2010 UNICEF report, Somalia has the world’s highest rate of Type III FGM. It is recorded that 79% of the women living in Somalia have undergone these procedures. Another 15% were exposed to Type II FGM.

Article 15 of the Federal Constitution According to the article, female circumcision was banned in August 2012. However, as of March 2020, there are no laws or known prosecutions on female genital mutilation in Somalia.

Sudan

The prevalence of female genital mutilation in Sudan is 90%. By 2020, only 6 of Sudan’s 18 states have passed laws against female genital mutilation. In 2020, Sudan’s new government passed a law banning female genital mutilation.

Before the Sudanese Revolution, Article 32 of the Sudanese Constitution According to its article, it has pledged to combat such harmful customs and traditions. Sudan was the first country under British rule to ban FGM in 1946. Type III is strictly prohibited under the Criminal Code of 1925. But less severe forms are allowed. Social welfare groups and many organizations have been trying to eliminate FGM for 50 years. Arrests have been made for FGM, but no further action has been taken to do so. Sudan signed the Maputo Protocol in June 2008. However, no ratification has yet been submitted to the African Union