Female Circumcision Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Female Circumcision - Research Paper Example e statistics are very important because they show the prevalence of FGM worldwide; they reveal that the fight against FGM must be waged more fiercely because it is far from over. In Kenya, for example, 38% of women have been subjected to some kind of FGM; in some parts of the country (like Kisii) this figure rises to 97% (Wangila 27). Female circumcision and the removal of female genitalia are thought to be almost 2,000 years old (Female genital mutilation: report of a WHO Technical Working Group, Geneva, 17-19 July 1995 103). In fact, some scholars speculate that it may even be older than Islam. Its exact beginnings have not been properly documented, but there is no dispute that it has been around for centuries. FGM basically involves the intentional alteration or causal of injury to parts of the female genitalia out of reasons that have no medical basis whatsoever. In the Islamic world, female circumcision is less prevalent (compared to Africa) and is limited to certain communities that try to justify it by employing the Quran. Among Jews, it has only been documented as practiced by Ethiopian Jews (Falasha), but currently it is also limited among them (Gruenbaum 93). Currently, there are few (if any) known religious sects that advocate for female circumcision anywhere in the world. This involves the forceful reduction in size (or narrowing) of the vaginal opening by creating some kind of seal to cover it (Female genital mutilation 1). This seal is created by excising and adjusting the position of the outer, or inner, labia, with or without necessarily removing the clitoris. Apart from these three procedures, there are others that are not usually classified as circumcision but also involve alteration or causal of injury to female genitalia. These include (but are not limited to) piercing, cauterizing, scraping, pricking and incising the genital area. Female circumcision can leave a girl scarred for life. The procedure is often carried out without sedation and