End female genital mutilation!
Dear Editor,
Recently, February 6, the international community paused to acknowledge the International Day for Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation.
Female genital mutilation is the ritualistic removal of some or all of the external female genitalia. This practice is most prevalent between ages 0-14 years of age. The procedure is typically carried out by a traditional circumciser using a blade, with or without anaesthesia.
While genital female mutilation is not an issue in Jamaica, at least some 200 million women and girls alive today have undergone the horrific experience, with half of them living in Indonesia, Egypt and Ethiopia. The latest figures, provided by UNICEF, show nearly 70 million more girls than previously thought have been subjected to ritual cutting.
Female genital mutilation is a creation by males to keep women subjugated and powerless. Men have no rights to tell women what they should do to their bodies. While I understand that female genital mutilation is steeped in cultural norms and practices grounded in patriarchy, there are sometimes serious health issues associated with female genital mutilation. According to the World Health Organization, the risk to girls who have had this procedure is severe and many face long-term health problems such as infections, infertility, complications in childbirth, urinary problems (painful urination, urinary tract infections); scar tissue and keloid.
Disturbingly, only 18 per cent of female genital mutilation is conducted by health workers. Female genital mutilation has no health benefits and violates the human rights of women and girls. Other countries practising female genital mutilation include Nigeria, Somalia, Senegal, Sudan, Chad, Yemen, Mali, Burkina Faso, Liberia, Djibouti and Mauritania. It is also practised among migrant groups in developed countries.
There are also social, physiological and physical consequences for girls and women who are often forced to have this procedure. The time to empower our women and girls is now.
Wayne Campbell
waykam@yahoo.com
@WayneCamo
