FGM/C nowadays

   

·       In Africa, FGM/C is known to be practiced among certain communities in 29 countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda and Zambia.

·       Certain ethnic groups in Asian countries practice FGM/C, including in communities in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

·       In the Middle East, the practice occurs in Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen, as well as in Iraq, Iran and the State of Palestine.

·       In Eastern Europe, recent info shows that certain communities are practicing FGM in Georgia and the Russian Federation.

·       In South America, certain communities are known to practice FGM in Columbia, Ecuador, Panama and Peru.

·       And in many western countries, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United States, the United Kingdom and various European countries, FGM is practiced among diaspora populations from areas where the practice is common.

·       Immigrants and Refugees from FGM-Countries bear witness of these procedures

 

Prevalence of Female Genital Mutilation (Africa, Middle East), UNICEF 2016. Author: Johnuniq, FGM prevalence UNICEF 2016, Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FGM_prevalence_UNICEF_2016.svg



 

Prevalence of female genital mutilation (2020). Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prevalence_of_female_genital_mutilation Author: Nederlandse Leeuw. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0


Reasons for why FGM is still practiced are:

Psychosexual reasons:

FGM is carried out as a way to control women’s sexuality, which is sometimes said to be insatiable if parts of the genitalia, especially the clitoris, are not removed. It is thought to ensure virginity and sexual restraint before marriage and fidelity afterward, and to increase male sexual pleasure.

Sociological and cultural reasons:

FGM is seen as part of a girl’s initiation into womanhood and as an intrinsic part of a community’s cultural heritage. Sometimes myths about female genitalia (e.g., that an uncut clitoris will grow to the size of a penis, or that FGM will enhance fertility or promote child survival) perpetuate the practice.

Some ancient ethnical groups thought of a human being as having two sexual contributions:  the female part of a boy is connected to his prepuce (since it is the female part of his body), and the male soul of the girl is located in the clitoris (the male part of a woman). Only when prepuce and clitoris are cut, a male and a female gain their true identity.

Hygiene and aesthetic reasons:

In some communities, the external female genitalia are considered dirty and ugly and are removed, ostensibly to promote hygiene and aesthetic appeal.

Religious reasons:

Although FGM is not endorsed by either Islam or by Christianity, supposed religious doctrine is often used to justify the practice.

 Socio-economic factors:

In many communities, FGM/C is a prerequisite for marriage. Where women are largely dependent on men, economic necessity can be a major driver of the procedure. FGM/C sometimes is a prerequisite for the right to inherit. It may also be a major income source for practitioners.

Female Symbols: Authors: AnonMoos, Miraceti, Public domain


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