Volumne 5 No. 2
Genital Cutting
The chart shows various
percentages of young women in sub- Saharan Africa who
have undergone female genital cutting (FGC). The chart
may underestimate the extent of these practices among
the adult population because many young women experience
this practice in their 20s and so do not appear on the
chart.
The reasons for genital
cutting vary, depending on the community. However, often
this practice is perceived to instill more feminine traits
in girls, improve their health, prepare girls for adulthood
and marriage, and discourage premarital or extramarital
sexual behavior.
Many cultures consider FCG (female
circumcision) a rite of passage. Girls who do not undergo
genital cutting often face poorer social, marital, and
economic prospects.Medical professionals cite the health
risks: psychological trauma, hemorrhage, infection, cysts,
shock, psychosexual dysfunction, obstetric problems,
and infertility.
Many of the medical risks rise or fall
depending on the practitioner's expertise and instruments,
the hygiene involved in the procedure, and the quality
of the after care.
Policymakers consider FGC a human rights
as well as a health issue.Many leaders in Africa and
UN agencies have urged that this practice be abandoned.
The Population Council finds that the percentage of adolescents
undergoing FGC in Egypt is decreasing.While the great
majority of Egyptian girls are being circumcised, today's
young Egyptian women are at least 10% less likely to
be circumcised than their mothers. Analysts attribute
the drop in numbers to two factors: exposure to diverse
opinions/behaviors and education. The decrease in numbers
occurs in girls 1) living in urban areas of Lower Egypt
and 2) girls whose mothers have attended secondary school.