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Control of Sexuality: Female Genital Mutilation

© Alyssa Skye

An education in sociology and anthropology asks that a student put aside her own personal beliefs and values in order to remain objective and unbiased when examining the social norms and mores of other cultures and civilizations. Professors whose courses detail certain practices which many students might find offensive or difficult to understand will constantly remind their pupils of the need for a nonjudgmental stance when learning of others' habits or traditions. Occasionally, however, a student might come across a description of a practice so personally disturbing that it becomes very tough to step back and look at it from an objective point of view. For me, this moment arrived when we were taught about other cultures which practice female genital mutilation (FGM).

FGM, a cross-cultural and cross-religious ritual performed throughout the world, including the United States, involves the removal of healthily functioning parts of a female's genitalia. The three main types of FGM include:

*sunna (Arabic for tradition) circumcision--removal of the prepuce and/or tip of the clitoris *clitoridectomy--removal of the clitoris and adjacent labia
*infibulation (or pharaonic circumcision)--removal of clitoris and majora and minora labia, followed by the securing of the scraped sides of the vulva across the vagina with thorns or catgut. A small piece of wood is used to create an opening to allow the passage of urine and menstrual blood.

FGM is often compared to male circumcision, but, while both are unnecessary and allow customs designed to keep control over an individual's body and sexuality to be perpetuated, FGM is much more drastic and damaging. Many experts have stated that a more appropriate analogy would be between FGM and a penisdectomy (total removal of the penis).

Female genital mutilation is usually performed in unsanitary conditions by a midwife using dirty razor blades, scissors, knives, or pieces of glass. Because these instruments are often used on many girls in succession, diseases such HIV and other infections are transmitted. Anesthesia is rarely used. Imagine having an operation while being fully cognizant and able to feel everything.

FGM is performed on girls of various ages. Some are only a few days old; others are much older. Many girls die as a result of infections which set in after the unsanitary procedure. Beyond these consequences, the long-term complications include frigidity, genital malformation, and recurrent urinary infection. Furthermore, there is a wide range of obstetric problems which are common in women who have experienced FGM. For example, due to a damaged birth canal, many babies run the risk of having their heads crushed if the mother isn't further "opened" to allow the baby to pass through.

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