Lauren Miller

Miller 1

DAlessio
UWRT 1102-023
March 17, 2016
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The core belief shared by feminists is the equal treatment of men and women, but in my

opinion, this can not be achieved if women's bodies are not respected. Practices like female
genital mutilation are not only continuing the inequality of women in patriarchal societies, but
are also human rights violations. According to the World Health organization, more than three
million girls are at risk for female genital mutilation every year. Female genital mutilation,
otherwise known as FGM, has life threatening consequences, and is gaining stability
geographically and also medically. Though FGM has been recognized as a human rights
violation, many under developed countries protect the practice as a cultural tradition. This is why
one of the strongest combating forces is the education of the victims and people globally
("Female Genital Mutilation." World).
Types of female genital mutilation can be organized into four categories. Type one is a
Clitoridectomy, which is the removal of the clitoris. Type two is the removal of the clitoris and
labia minora. Type three, called Infibulation, is a clitoridectomy along with the removal of the
labias minora and the narrowing of the introitus, or vaginal opening, by creating a covering seal.
This procedure is considered to be the most intense and high risk of all the different types. Type
four includes any other form of harmful procedures for non-medical purposes to the genitals.
Female genital mutilation is normally preformed by midwives who are well known in the
community. These traditional midwives are known to cut with shards of glass, single use blades
on multiple girls, and with out anesthetic. With modern research, FGM has been proven to cause

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many adverse reactions that include death during the procedure from hemorrhaging or
unsterilized instruments, painful sexual experiences, menstrual problems, urination problems,
risks during pregnancy, and during labor for the mother and baby (Andrew).
Girls usually four to fifteen years old are threatened by female genital mutilation in over
30 countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia ("Female Genital Mutilation." World). Though
this practice is migrating to other countries, the world is just recently recognizing FGM as a
human rights violation. It breaks the United Nations declaration of human rights, the United
Nations convention on the rights of a child, and the convention on the elimination of all forms of
discrimination against women. Also in more modern forms, where FGM is becoming
medicalized, healthcare workers break international human rights agreements. One large
argument against this practice is that it is normally performed before the age of consent
(Andrew), which in my opinion, makes female genital mutilation impossible to legalize.
Despite the serious health risks that female genital mutilation imposes, little has been
done legally to stop this unnecessary and harmful custom. Even though these countries are
passing laws to make these practices illegal, there are very few cases where repercussions have
been given to the people responsible for performing the operation ("Female Genital Mutilation
(FGM): Legal). These are called soft laws, where the government tries to make a discrepancy in
power between the public and private realm. Their inability to control the private realm leaves
the women and children vulnerable to the leader of the family, the father (Monagan).
This idea of changing women's body image to satisfy men is not new. The Chinese have
practiced foot binding since the tenth century, and was only recently abolish in the 1940s when
China began to westernize. Foot binding was used to keep women's feet small by painfully

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wrapping young girls so that the toes curled underneath the foot. This crippling mutilation left
women completely dependent on men, and when it was no longer fashionable, women with
bound feet were often left by their husbands (Schiavenza). Another form of mutilation was the
corset. Silhouettes of women in corsets have been seen in art as early as the 1530s. Corsets were
used to confine and constrict the torsos of women so that they followed the fashionable curvy
appearance of their dresses. This may have caused problems with circulation, and in the stomach,
colin, and muscles ("A Short). Breast ironing is a Cameroonian custom of using hot tools to stop
developing girls chests from growing. The ideas is that these parents are postponing their first
sexual relationships by making their bodies unattractive to men. This is done in the fear that the
girls won't finish their education if they meet a man and become pregnant. This can cause
problems with breast feeding, and often ant stings are used to stimulate the glands (Bidan). With
all of these practices in mind, I have to believe there is something more then these reasons
driving the mutilation of the female body.
There are many reasons people use to help outsiders understand why they must be
allowed to continue the practice. Though in my opinion, the practice is being perpetuated by the
people who preform the circumcision, women who have already had the operation, and men who
demand it of their wives. Pressure to conform to the social order and being prepared for marriage
is a strong factor in perpetuating this FGM. It is hard for many people to see these practices as
traditional, because they have no historical or religious connections (Rahim). Though I feel, that
many of these cultures traditions have changed over time, and therefore it is not a valid excuse
to cut women's genitals.

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In the video, Female Circumcision: Human Rites, I watched young girls are made to feel
as if they are royalty after their mutilation is completed. They are often paraded around the
community, where the whole village celebrates her entrance into womanhood. This coming of
age ceremony is something that young girls look forward to for many years. If the family is
wealthy enough, a chicken is sacrificed in the girls name. (Female Circumcision)
In my opinion, one of the main pushes for the continuance of female genital mutilation is
a women's necessity to please men. Although men usually do not directly force women to get this
procedure, women in these countries are mostly dependent upon men for survival. This
encourages families to force their daughters through FGM so that they will be supported by a
good husband. Because most all of these countries where female circumcisions are preformed are
in developing regions, women have little say in politics or their family. Men get to dictate what is
considered to be the virtuous and acceptable female image. They attempt to control every aspect
of a woman, and women gladly acquiesce in an attempt to gain higher societal status and to
become more acceptable for marriage (Monagan).
Another thing that has continued the support for female genital mutilation is women who
have already gotten the circumcisions. Most women who have not had the procedure are out cast
by other women. In many cultures in Africa, families are polygamist, if the husband marries a
women who is not circumcised, the other wives are likely to outcast her. This is because uncut
women are seen as promiscuous and unclean. The only ones who are educated about the practice
are the midwives, and their income comes from the continuation of female genital mutilation
(Female Circumcision). What these women don't understand, is that they are perpetuating their
own suffering. Many of these women can not read, making it harder for them to understand the

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facts and risks behind the practice. This is why I believe that with further education for these
groups, the practice of FGM could be eliminated.
Promises of marital virginities are what classify women and honorable and worthy of
marrying. In the movie, Female Circumcision: Human Rites a women talks about how important
it is to the family to stay a virgin until marriage. Otherwise she would damage the honor of her
father and even the whole male population of the his clan forever and irretrievably. Although the
ability to sexually satisfy man is of upmost importance (Female Circumcision).
Another reason to conform to the practice is the rumors spread about HIV and AIDS
protection, which is a deadly disease in these countries where medical assistance is limited.
They believe that by having this procedure done, it reduces sexual desire intern women will have
fewer sexual partners and less likelihood to contract these diseases (Andrew).
The article I read called Patriarchy: Perpetuating the Practice of Female Genital
Mutilation, talked a lot about the invisible had of a male driven society and their influence on
the mutilation of women's bodies. I personally believe this is where the strongest form of
pressure to conform comes from. Not only in these developing countries, but even in the United
States I feel the need to conform to the idolized image of women shown in pop culture. Though
you could tell that this author was very biased due to the fact that he never considered their point
of view and used persuasive rhetoric making me very skeptical while reading it.
This historical practice has been take further from the notion of a tradition in the
Medicalization of FGM. This means that the practice is being taken out of the dirt huts and into
modernized medical facilities. Through this can also be a good thing, it can be seen as
legitimizing the practice because it has the backing of the medical field. Medicalization is meant

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to reduce harm, but it could actually propagate the practice in both medicalized and
unmedicalized forms. Potentially, medicalized FGM will lead to an increase in its practice
because of the financial interests in its continuation. There are arguments for medicalization of
female genital mutilation saying that it reduces the possibility of infection, but FGM carries no
health benefits, and it likely carries health and sexual risks. Therefore, it is contradictory to the
medical principles of beneficence and non-maleficence. Another reason that this could be seen as
unethical is that FGM is often practiced at ages when girls cannot give informed consent. Even at
older ages, where informed consent is given, that decision is under control by the family and the
community, not the victim (Andrew). Considering the irreversible nature of the procedure, I
believe it should be illegal for healthcare workers to perform the procedure.
When I began this paper, one of the biggest apprehensions I had was that my opinions on
male and female circumcisions where completely different. In the United States, we expect men
to be circumcised, but I think that in the countries Im studying, they feel the same way about
females. Morally, I don't have an issue with male circumcisions, so logically I would not care
about female circumcision either. But in reality, I in no way agree with female circumcision,
even after my research of their culture, which makes it harder for me to express my bias. Im not
sure if my bias comes from being a female myself, or the age at which the practice is preformed,
but I could not let myself defend a practice that takes away the freewill of another woman. It is
very easy to look at another culture and say that what they are doing is wrong, so in my research
I tried to overcome my bias by looking at the situation objectively.
The genres I choose were two articles and a movie. Although both article were very
different, there rhetoric was very similar. In the article Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Reproductive

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Medicine, the terminology was very factual and sophisticated, making it had to argue with but
also a great resource. My other article was a piece called Patriarchy: Perpetuating the Practice of
Female Genital Mutilation was more of a persuasive piece. This made me a little more skeptical
in the fact that the author was more interested in persuading me of their ideas then actually
giving facts. Though this article was critical to my research because it ties not only my research
to feminism, but also my groups topics together. The movie I watched, Female Circumcision:
Human Rites, was very different then my other sources. It was from the perspective of actual
victims, and gave me a point of view from the victims of these crimes that I could not really get
in another format. Not only did I sit through the cutting, but I watched how these women have
been brainwashed into thinking this practice is okay. Not only do they accept it, but are proud to
go through this process of becoming a women. This movie was a simple portrayal of the people
of these villages, not persuasive.
Over all I have learned a lot about the culture of these people, and learned to look at this
topic more objectively. I am still unsure of why the practice is done, or if it will ever be able to
be stopped, but I hope to use what I have learned to help inform people to make their own
decision. I have come to the conclusion that education is the key to over coming these male
favoring traditions as we continue to combat this issue.

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Works cited

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Monagan, Sharmon Lynnette. "Journal of Alternative Perspectives in the Social
Sciences." Patriarchy: Perpetuating the Practice of Female Genital Mutilation 2.1 (2010):
160-79. Japss. 2010. Web. 5 Apr. 2016.
"Female Genital Mutilation." World Health Organization. WHO, Feb. 2016. Web. 05 Apr.
2016.
Female Circumcision: Human Rites. Films On Demand. Films Media Group, 1998. Web.
22 Mar. 2016.
Andrew J. Pearce, Susan Bewley 26 December 2013, Obstetrics, Gynaecology &
Reproductive Medicine, Volume 24, Issue 1, January 2014, Pages 2930
Schiavenza, Matt. "The Peculiar History of Foot Binding in China." The Atlantic.
Atlantic Media Company, 16 Sept. 2013. Web. 06 Apr. 2016.
"A Short History of the Corset." Marquise. A. Bender, 2013. Web. 5 Apr. 2016.
Bidan, Matthieu. "The Victims of Cameroon's Horrific Breast Ironing Tradition | VICE |
United States." VICE. VICE Media LLC, 19 Aug. 2015. Web. 06 Apr. 2016.
"Female Genital Mutilation (FGM): Legal Prohibitions Worldwide." Center for
Reproductive Rights. Center for Reproductive Rights, 11 Dec. 2008. Web. 07 Apr. 2016.
Rahim, Hajra. "'A Woman Died in My Arms: Her Crime? To Refuse FGM'" The
Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 08 Mar. 2016. Web. 07 Apr. 2016.