Saturday 6 February 2016

She Was Cut - Female Genital Mutilation

I bumped into this topic and felt I should do a post on it. I really don’t know much about it and would not ordinarily have something to say if it is being discussed. The kind of curiosity that killed the cat made me ask a female friend about it and I realised her level of ignorance on the topic was alarming. She knew practically nothing about it that I recognised that even in my ignorance I know more than she does… This got me worried, because the subject matter is targeted at the female gender and so she is more affected than I am.
Ladies, please know yourselves… Know your body and all those stuff that affect you sex directly or indirectly… stand up for what is right and against what is wrong, let us move on.
So there are some wrong perceptions about FGM. It is believed by some that those who have undergone this procedure do not enjoy sex. Some have traced promiscuity amongst many women to this pointing that it is because of the quest to know what it feels like to enjoy sex. I hear it affects some of them psychologically. 
Many reasons have been sighted for the practice as it has practically dominant in Africa, though people have been kicking against it for a while.... these things have been making me to wonder. 
Does FGM guarantee a woman being faithful? The answer is NO. Even ladies who are not circumcised run around looking for some man or the other to get down there.
Somehow, today listening to the radio, I discovered that it is International Day of ZERO Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). So we are resisting FGM... if it has not stopped in your place (your community), its time to start speaking against it unless you feel differently about it. 
Because of my little knowledge on this topic I will stop here as I pass the baton unto you. Lets do justice to the questions I have below as call credit of choice network will be sent to at least two persons that enlightens us best (within the time of this post and 7 days time).
·        What is Female Genital Mutilation all about?
·        What is its health importance to the woman?
·        What is the possible importance to the community?
·        At what age should it be done for a girl? Is FGM still being practiced in our community?
·        From your perspective what has it got to do with the rights of a woman?
·        What are the perceived and obvious risks of FGM?

Over to you. Meanwhile enjoy this poem below, courtesy Ebukun Gbemisola (Ibikunwrites)

Cheers!

7 comments:

  1. END'S TIME QUESTIONS

    If your were brought up in a community that ignorantly placed value and respect anything they call culture, this would not be new to you.

    I grew up to see young girls in my area (then), been tightly, firmly, forcefully held by two or three older men, spread their two legs at the mercy of one old man, holding some unsterilized sharp objects pointing at their P.part like someone in hunt of lassa rats to mod.

    Its fun when we stand closely to watch the girls crying and shouting in pains. Then we go round to search for other girls who were yet to be victims of the sharp objects ignorantly. We thought it was a favour, like that of the male counterparts.

    Some of them remain indoor for days in order for their wounds to heal. We mock them, especially when we see them walking around like Keke Napep two/three days after the local operation.

    Its sound normal, we heard its culturally recommended and that's all...

    Thank God for exposure, enlightenment...I would not have been aware of the gravity of those men's offense.

    Scientifically till now, I know nothing about it. Just know its bad.

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  2. Hmmmm....Ugo, I never knew such thing really happened in the new age until I found out that some of my friends were circumcised and no! they do not enjoy sex at all. The funny thing is, people still do it, and a lot of girls have undergone FGM and it is still happening, the only difference is, most people do it to girls while tender (babies). Let's look beyond sex and all and try to understand what these women go through, some even get badly infected as a result of this. I think many tribes do it as a way of suppressing women.
    It's really really bad and it has to stop!

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  3. As sad as FGM is, people are still very much in the dark. Information and general awareness campaign should be suggested to local counselors. It still happens in today's world...... sad!.

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  4. I wish I could share the source of a story I read a couple of days ago. This did happen to a lady, at the age of 12 though. The families' CLEAR reason being it was the only way she could have been prevented from being promiscuous. Lady got married at 16 as a virgin and all rejoiced she was a true pride to her family. History was to repeat itself with this lady's daughter who was also 12 when the decision was made. She fought it in the ways she could but tradition prevailed and her lil girl went through same FGM but this time her daughter died after a few days.

    I don't know the reasoning behind this barbaric tradition. I wish I could attach a picture to my comment. It is inhumane to treat any girl to such. Even to pierce babies' ears I am uncomfortable. Who says a girl will be promiscuous with the right values? Teach them first! I don't know how many lives have been lost due to complications but this should just stop please. There is enough sadness & pain in the world already. These girls are babies. Innocent ones at them. Allow them choose the path they want to trail.

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  5. Enter your comment..


    it is barbaric.. and stupid

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  6. information and exposure is all that's needed to end this barbaric act... yet some say customs/tradition must hold ground on women/females in the society in terms of this...

    there is God..

    Happy Valentine

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  7. barbaric act,do they still practice it ??funniest i know nothing about it aside from self research

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