I was Circumcised. Me and all my five sisters. When I said this on my 'Faking it', post, people lauded my courage for openly admitting to being circumcised. Then I started wondering if it's something to be ashamed of?
I've heard all kinds of negative things being said about female genital mutilation, but I've never paid much attention to it. Why? Because it was done to me...and my sisters...so thinking about how callous and wicked it is to cut a female's genital part, is thinking my parents are wicked and callous. Two people I love most in the world.
I first heard about FGM in secondary school when some girls were discussing sex. I remember vividly a particular classmate saying circumcised girls don't enjoy sex, circumcision means your ability to enjoy sex has been cut off. I reflected at that moment and remembered that someone, maybe my older sister, once told me we were all circumcised.
The thought of never enjoying sex was so horrific to me that I went out of my way to discover the truth about circumcision. I asked around and one trusted older relation told me the theory was baseless as she was circumcised and enjoyed sex. I heaved a sigh of relief and never thought about it again.
Over the years, I've heard people state a million and one reasons circumcision is wrong. They say: it's barbaric, inhuman, etc...if this is true does it mean something something inhuman happened to me? If it's so wrong, why are some parents still letting this happen to their girls?
I remember asking my mum why she circumcised us and she said circumcision was to stop girls from being promiscuous. When I really think of it, my mum didn't particularly believe in it, but when you have a kid in the village, the family do what they think is necessary for/to the child. I think my mum didn't have a say about the circumcision being done to all her girls, it was the norm then, so she must have just played along.
My question is: What made our fore fathers think that circumcising a girl will make her less promiscuous? Who the hell came up with this crazy Idea? This people must have been insane.
Anyway, here's all you need to know about FGM
Female genital mutilation (FGM), often referred to as 'female circumcision', comprises all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs whether for cultural, religious or other non-therapeutic reasons.
There are different types of female genital mutilation known to be practised today.
They include:
Type I - excision of the prepuce, with or without excision of part or all of the clitoris;Type II - excision of the clitoris with partial or total excision of the labia minora;Type III - excision of part or all of the external genitalia and stitching/narrowing of the vaginal opening (infibulation);Type IV - pricking, piercing or incising of the clitoris and/or labia; stretching of the clitoris and/or labia; cauterization by burning of the clitoris and surrounding tissue;scraping of tissue surrounding the vaginal orifice (angurya cuts) or cutting of the vagina (gishiri cuts); introduction of corrosive substances or herbs into the vagina to cause bleeding or for the purpose of tightening or narrowing it; and any other procedure that falls under the definition given above.
Health consequences of FGM
The immediate and long-term health consequences of female genital mutilation vary according to the type and severity of the procedure performed.
Immediate complications include severe pain, shock, haemorrhage, urine retention, ulceration of the genital region and injury to adjacent tissue. Haemorrhage and infection can cause death.
Long-term consequences include cysts and abscesses, keloid scar formation, damage to the urethra resulting in urinary incontinence, dyspareunia (painful sexual intercourse) and sexual dysfunction and difficulties with childbirth.
Psychosexual and psychological health: Genital mutilation may leave a lasting mark on the life and mind of the woman who has undergone it. In the longer term, women may suffer feelings of incompleteness, anxiety and depression.
Who performs FGM, at what age and for what reasons?
FGM is usually performed by a traditional practitioner with crude instruments and without anaesthetic. Among the more affluent in society it may be performed in a health care facility by qualified health personnel. WHO is opposed to medicalization of all the types of female genital mutilation.
The age at which female genital mutilation is performed varies from area to area. It is performed on infants a few days old, female children and adolescents and, occasionally, on mature women.
The reasons given by families for having FGM performed include:
Psychosexual reasons: reduction or elimination of the sensitive tissue of the outer genitalia, particularly the clitoris, in order to attenuate sexual desire in the female, maintain chastity and virginity before marriage and fidelity during marriage, and increase male sexual pleasure.
Sociological reasons: identification with the cultural heritage, initiation of girls into womanhood, social integration and the maintenance of social cohesion.
Hygiene and aesthetic reasons: the external female genitalia are considered dirty and unsightly and are to be removed to promote hygiene and provide aesthetic appeal.
Myths: enhancement of fertility and promotion of child survival.
Religious reasons: Some Muslim communities, however, practise FGM in the belief that it is demanded by the Islamic faith. The practice, however, predates Islam.
Prevalence and distribution of FGM
Most of the girls and women who have undergone genital mutilation live in 28 African countries, although some live in Asia and the Middle East. They are also increasingly found in Europe, Australia, Canada and the USA, primarily among immigrants from these countries.
Today, the number of girls and women who have undergone female genital mutilation is estimated at between 100 and 140 million. It is estimated that each year, a further 2 million girls are at risk of undergoing FGM.
This is what I think about circumcision: When you read extensively about the consequences of circumcision...some kids have been known to die from this practice...you wonder why parents, especially mothers, allow their children to be mutilated in such a manner. It is wrong and their reasons for doing it is extremely stupid. It needs to be stopped.
This is what I know about circumcision: It doesn't stop your ability to enjoy sex. I've been circumcised and I've had sex...circumcision my ass...I enjoyed myself plentifully...if you aren't enjoying sex...change partners lol. But seriously, a lot of circumcised women complain about their inability to enjoy sex, I guess those women must have been extremely mutilated. It's sad.
All I can say is; find positiveness in a every bad situation. And the only way you can avenge your being circumcised is; Don't do it to your own child.
Who has anything to say about circumcision? Were you circumcised? Do you enjoy sex?
Also they say from now on, our Senate will start monitoring punctuality by it's members...there will be like a register or sumtin? Laughable or a good Idea?
