Female circumcision describes the traditional and cultural practices of removing the external genitals of a woman. This practice is also referred to as Female Genital mutilation or Female Genital Cutting. The practice involves a partial or total removal of the female’s external genitals. Female circumcision is practiced in many countries, such as Senegal, Kenya, Ivory Coast, and Egypt. It is also practiced in Middle East, Australia, and even in the US by the emigrants communities. The act is dominant to the young women and girls from two weeks to 19 years old. The girls are forced to undergo this practice, as there are myths and conceptions that they are taught in order to agree as by discussion essay writing service.
Many communities, which practice female mutilation or circumcision, also violate other important rights of a woman. From history, culture and traditions in many countries are responsible for human violence. Traditional practices empower men over women and are among many enemies of women’s rights. Men dominate the communities’ rights and women are mistreated in favor of men’s benefits. Women are sexually harassed, unrecognized, beaten, widows are burned, and female circumcision precedes them all. In many third world and developing countries, women violence is evident and persistent in favor of male species. The female circumcision is ritualized women violence and violation of human rights. Practitioners of female circumcision believe that women should be circumcised in order to increase fertility and reduce the mortality rate. Men argue that clitoris produces exotic secretions, which kill and destroy male sperms; thus, reduce the chances of uncircumcised women getting pregnant. This is a wrong perception, because clitoris helps to create the woman’s excitement, increases enjoyment of intercourse, and facilitates easy and smooth child delivery.
Barriers to Seeking Help
Female circumcision or female genital mutilation is unhealthy and non-hygienic practice that risks the life of young and old women. Despite the negative implications and impacts associated with this practice, many women in various African, western, and emigrants of the US communities still undergo this process. The following factors are some of the barriers to seeking help to stop female circumcision.
- Female circumcision is a required condition for marriage;
Traditions in many societies, which still uphold to the cultural and traditional beliefs, see mutilation as a rite of passage. Men in African families still belief in marrying circumcised women to avoid the shame from other men. Women view marriage as a way to end the dependence from parents and they cannot fulfill their desire without being mutilated.
- The circumcisers and traditional birth attendants;
Female circumcision is catalyzed by the so-called birth attendants and circumcisers in this practice. They earn their living through this practice, and they advocate for its continuity beside the information on the negative impacts.
- Emigrants believe that circumcision continuity is a sign of identity in the new country;
The emigrants in the US have an invocation to continue with this rite of passage in their refuge country as a way to maintain and show their identity. The traditional men perceive the continuation of female circumcision or mutilation as a cultural practice that will preserve their identity and their origin.
- Payment of bride price;
Men in the communities, which observe the circumcision practices, only pay a dowry to the circumcised girls. Rich men marry the girls, who are circumcised and mutilated. This perception makes the girl’s parents to insist on circumcision in order to receive good dowry price. Need to earn good dowry acts as a barrier for women to seek help in ending this practice.
- Ignorance to reproductive and sexual health;
Many women in developing countries are relaxed to seek, listen, and follow the information provided about sexual life and reproduction health. This makes the women believe in misconceptions given by the non-medical specialists and health advisers. This ignorance is another barrier for women seeking help on this violent practice elimination.
- Religious misconception.
It is unfortunate that many religious leaders up to date promote mutilation and cutting as a way to maintain honor and reduce immorality in women. These misconceptions that female circumcision is religiously connected hinders the efforts to end mutilation.
Barriers to Help Seeking among the Undocumented Women in the United States
i.) Economic factors
Bride fees and other wealthy dowry that men give to the girl’s parents during marriage are huge consideration of many traditional societies. Rich men have always wanted and preferred circumcised women to maintain the relationship with the society ties. The need and greed to get the wealth from the girl’s future husband pressure parents to force them to get mutilated.
ii.) Religion
Circumcision of female members of community is connected in a great way to the religious advices. There are few religious leaders and missionaries, who came forward to discourage the prevalence of this practice. This is unfortunate, because these arguments that circumcision reduces immorality and increase fertility are not supported in the Bible or in Quran. This conception misleads religious followers to continue with the circumcision practices.
iii.) Psychological views
There is a belief that clitoris removal helps to keep the vagina clean, prevents children’s death during birth, and increases fertility. People have been made and turned to believe into the myths about clitoris and its relation to the women’s problems. This psychological view about clitoris contradicts the science and research about the vagina and its functioning.
iv.) Sociological factors
Another barrier is the fact about the way the members of a community believe in and take circumcision as a passage of life. Women have accepted circumcision as a rite of passage, and they stopped seeking help on it.
v.) Health issue
Many tend not to be concerned on seeking advice, because they see circumcision or mutilation as a health issue practice. Women are happy to be assured that the removal of clitoris will eliminate odor smell and harmful secretions, and they would never seek help about the whole issue.
vi.) Marriage and sexual reasons
When men are getting married, they prefer circumcised women, because they believe the mutilation reduces sexual urge. Many old men have fear to satisfy young and energetic women, and they want them mutilated to reduce their sexual strength. Thus, this becomes a barrier for the women, who may want a help on the practice, because they want to get married, and the only option is circumcision.
Every community or society has its own customs, cultural practices, norms, and taboos, which guide and govern the regulations of each member. Although some practices may be unfavorable to some members, justifications are made to make sure the practices, religious, traditional beliefs, and ethical norms are maintained. A good example of the biased cultural practice is female circumcision. Female circumcision is a forced practice that is facilitated by the numerous factors in the community, and represents a violent action against females. Female circumcision violates women’s right in many communities, where people believe that it is associated with traditional and religious beliefs. Girls are subjected to harsh conditions during the cutting process, and many of them end up with short and long-term injuries. The practice is not legally accepted; thus, it is done in hideouts by the non-medical people. It is unhygienic, because they use shared knives, razors, and dirty items to perform the ritual. The women, who carry out this process, are not educated on any health matters, and they sometimes hurt the girls deep inside the vagina. This causes excess bleeding, infections, and problems during urinating. The bleeding at times is too much, and the girls die in the process of circumcision. This practice is one of those violation women’s rights in many non-developed and traditional countries.
Researchers argue that female circumcision is practiced in many communities across the world as a result of traditional beliefs. People belief that circumcision helps to reduce child deaths during birth and leads to cleanliness of vagina, improved, sexual intercourse, and manifestation of beauty. Supporters of female circumcision view it as a tradition rite of passage, and every woman is supposed to undergo the process. Men prefer circumcised women, because they belief they are clean, less sexually active, faithful, fertile and traditionally fit for marriage. This paper will address the violation of women’s rights. Female circumcision practice leaves girls and young adolescent ladies in great agony. Female circumcision leads to psychological and physiological impacts, which are irreversible in many cases. There are many justifications on the violent actions against the child, such as preserving virginity, cleanliness, fertility, and controlling immorality. The justification only helps to pull women to think in the same direction. This has raised the issue of why women think it is universal to get circumcised, and every woman enjoys the passage rite. The factors discussed earlier are some of the many reason, as to why circumcision is rampant, besides the knowledge about its impacts and implication.
Based on the literature review, I intend to do the research on the circumcision of women, the factors contributing to its continuation, and the ways to end the practice. The research aims to study the barriers to reduce mutilation of women’s private parts and their effectiveness. The research will cover in a broad way the influence of religious views and societal influences, which lead to its members receiving the mistreatment of this kind. Other factors to check on are myths and conceptions, health issues, sociological and sexual-marriage reasons and their influence on circumcision.
I intend to use schedules and questionnaires and appoint a team from the various regions to collect the data regarding mutilation and circumcision of women. The paper will also study the process of reducing and eliminating the practice. This research paper will test and prove the hypothesis of study and finally make conclusions.
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