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Female genital mutilation
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Female genital mutilation is routinely practiced in parts of Africa (usually northern or central Africa) where they are deeply rooted as part of some cultures. Women who experience sexual pleasure are considered to be uncontrollable, they are cautious, they can not be married.
The average age at which girls are operated is 7 years, and the procedure is performed without anesthesia. The crippling operation may be limited to the partial removal of the clitoris. Infibulation, the extreme form, involves the removal of the capillary and labia, after which, as a rule, the remaining tissue is stitched, leaving only a hole (1-2 cm) for menstrual flow and urine. The legs are often associated with each other and left in this condition for weeks after the procedure. Traditionally, women who have been infibulated, sutures are dissected on a wedding night.
Complications of female genital mutilation may include intraoperative or postoperative bleeding and infection (including tetanus). In women who underwent infibulation, recurrent infections of the urinary system, genital organs, cicatricial changes are possible; they have an increased susceptibility to AIDS, childbirth can lead to fatal bleeding. Psychological consequences can be severe.
Female genital mutilation may become less common due to the influence of religious leaders who have opposed this practice, as well as growing resistance in some communities.
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