They say that …FGM is a cultural tradition that people have always practiced…
But actually …there are traditional practices that are not harmful for the health of women and children: these must be preserved…
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They say that …FGM increase fertility in women. According to some testimony, the belief that the genital secretions of a non-circumcised woman kill the sperm in the vagina. Thus, a woman who married immediately after being circumcised will certainly get pregnant…
But actually …to the contrary, FGM can make a woman sterile. Actually... it is one of the causes of infertility, especially in young women with pelvic infections caused by the practice. In the case of infibulation, childbirth is difficult and can lead to the death of the child and/or the mother…
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They say that …FGM is a religious precept, of Islam in particular…
But actually …no religion requires FGM. Its origins are pre-Christian and pre-Islamic.
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They say that …FGM is a way of preventing prenatal deaths. Some communities believe that the clitoris has the power to kill the firstborn child if its head touches the clitoris during labor…
But actually …the idea that a newborn can die during labor if it touches the clitoris has no scientific basis. To the contrary, childbirth is normal and health in non-mutilated women, while in circumcised women there is a high rate of pre- and post-natal deaths due to the long labor.
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They say that …FGM is a guarantee of virginity and it is believed that infibulation protects the chastity of young women until they marry. Virginity is a prerequisite for marriage in all traditional African societies. Proof of virginity is generally an integral part of the marriage transaction…
But actually … from an anatomic and medical point of view, virginity is guaranteed by the presence of the hymen. At times, given the precarious conditions under which these operations are carried out, the membrane of the hymen is broken, causing the loss of virginity. Parents encourage their daughters to submit to FGM in the hope of obtaining a higher bride’s price…
They say that …FGM is a guarantee of good health. It is said that circumcised women are always healthy, that the only health problems they ever have come from supernatural causes. There is even the belief that circumcision can cure depression and melancholy…
But actually …there is ample documentation regarding the complications for these women’s health. Women in some societies are taught not to complain and to consider suffering “part of being a woman” from the time they are little. Since women should not speak of certain bodily organs and functions, it is assumed that the consequences of FGM are to be ignored and/or borne with strength of mind…
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They say that …FGM is a guarantee of purity and cleanliness. Removal of the external genital organs is justified by practitioners by the need to keep this area of the body clean. People maintain that the secretions produced by the glands in the clitoris, and the labia maiora and minora produce a bad odor, soiling a woman’s body. For that reason, these organs and the glands responsible for these secretions must be removed…
But actually …the normal secretion of these glands is imperceptible and only increases during sexual intercourse to facilitate penetration. In normal conditions, the vagina is “dry”. Abundant, bad-smelling secretions indicate infections that should be treated.
In infibulation, the closing of the vulva leads to a faulty, slow discharge of urine and the menstrual flow, leading to haematocolpos (stoppage of the menstrual flow inside the vagina).
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They say that …FGM improves men’s sexual performance. It is believed that since the clitoris resembles the penis, excites the man even more, leading to a rapid conclusion of sexual intercourse. In many patriarchal societies, this is insulting to men. In infibulation, the aim is to reduce the organ to a tight opening, thus increasing a man’s pleasure during intercourse…
But actually … this motivation is only valid where men have been conditioned to believe that sexual pleasure during intercourse can only be obtained with mutilated women who are submissive and passive. The truth is that few men agree that a woman’s passivity adds to sexual pleasure. Men interviewed in some African countries have admitted that they prefer having sex with non-mutilated women rather than with mutilated women…
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They say that …FGM is practiced for athletic reasons. The prepuce of the penis is removed mostly for aesthetic reasons. Likewise the clitoris, similar to the penis, should be removed for the same reason. In some cultures, there is a theory according to which female genitals can grow during development, just like the male organ. This could lead to an embarrassing situation where the clitoris could dangle between the woman's legs, like a penis. So these groups think that a flat, smooth area of skin is more attractive to the eye then a rise of flesh…
But actually …the configuration, structure and functions of most of the bodily organs are determined by genetic and hormonal influences. The body's sex hormones determine the clear differences between the two sexes. Exaggerated development of a woman's clitoris indicates some internal disorder that needs immediate treatment. The hard stump of the scar that substitutes the clitoris or the long stiff central scar in the case of infibulation is abnormal…
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They say that …FGM is a guarantee of fidelity…
But actually …promiscuity is a behavior resulting from a complex combination of social circumstances and retaining or removing sensitive genital organs has no direct impact…