TheBlindJournalist: Female Genital Mutilation

Female Genital Mutilation – A medieval practice in the 21^st Century.

Mohammed Salim Patel in Burkino Faso investigates the trauma millions of women face around the world.

A hospital has been created in Africa to restore the genitals of females.

Over 100.000000 (one hundred million) women in Africa have had their genitals mutilated. The mutilation takes place when the women are young girls. In some parts of Africa it is felt that if a woman is not mutilated then she is viewed as unclean and wouldn’t get married. The women are very young girls when they are taken for the cutting and therefore don’t have a say in the matter. The individuals who carry out the circumcisions are not trained medical proffessionals and often use razor blades to do the mutilation, therefore increasing risk of infections because the tools are not steralised.

There are many different forms of mutilation. They vary from clipping off the cliterus, stretching off the labia or partial\total removal of the genitalia. The most sever form of mutilation is infibulation – this is where the outer lips of the cliterus are removed, which causes a lot of blood loss, a small twig maybe inserted before the wound heals in order to allow the woman to relieve herself and maintain periods. Once the procedure is complete the woman’s legs are bound together for up to four weeks, entailing that intercourse and showering becomes impossible, this is done so that the husband knows their wife to be is a virgin. Some girls are married off at the age of 12.    

The hospital, ironically named, ‘The Pleasure Hospital’ is based in Burkino Faso, which is one of the poorest countries in the world. The hospital was set up by the religious movement called the Raelians. They set up a charity called ‘Cliteraid’ where people were asked to sponsor a cliterus. Once enough money was raised they decided to open up this hospital. The Raelians are a religious movement that believe life is for pleasure. Those who follow the movement believe in UFOs and that the human race is governed by Aliens outside the earth. The earthly raelians mainly reside in Canada and California.  The hospital has been made so that those women who have been genitally circumcised get their cliterus restored. Doctors from America volunteered to launch the hospital and to give guidance and training to local doctors on how to carry out the operations. The husbands of those woman who have been mutilated are very keen that their wives get operated on and repaired.

The mutilation causes severe pain during labour and sex for the women. It also denies them pleasure.

As part of some religions, such as Judaism and Islam, male followers are told to undergo similar cuttings. The men have their penis’s foreskin circumcised and also shave their pubic hair. This is because it was an action that the Prophets practiced and authorised. This act is not done to cause pain or discomfort. It is seen as a form of cleanliness. Female genital mutilation however, has no eligious backings. Even though some parts of Western Africa, who follow Catholicism, say that it is a religious practice. The Catholic Church completely forbids the action.

Cultural traditions are being misinterpreted for religious ones. In the UK up to 24,000 girls, under the age of 18, are at risk also. Recently there have been incidents where mutilation has taken place in UK hospitals. Two doctors are currently under questioning by police on the matter. It is illegal in the UK for female genital mutilation to take place. There are also reports that mothers send their daughters back to their homelands in Africa so that the procedure can be done.  

On the day of the launch at the hospital the doctors were told that the Burkino Faso’s Ministry of Health couldn’t allow the hospital to be open. The Raelians felt that this was because the government don’t agree with their religious beliefs. However, the American doctors managed to get local doctors to allow them to use their facilities to fulfil the operations. In the three days after the start of the operations the American doctors repaired 29 women’s genitalia. But they were eventually told that their rights to work in the country were refused and therefore had to leave.

As well as the Raelians standing up, to  try and repair the circumcised woman and prevent this 

tradition continuing, many organisations and campaigns have been launched around the world to create awareness and make a change.

A church in Kenya have started up a project to create an alternative to circumcisions. Elderly women hold residentials camps where young women and girls are taught how to cook, be good wives, mothers and women. Previously these camp would end with circumicison taking place however, it now ends with a graduation ceremony and the girls are awarded with a certificate. 

The project which is called ‘The Alternative Right of Passage’ is run by the  Catholic Diasees of Meru and The Catholic Relief Services in order to eradicate the previous practices.