FGM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

FGM - Essay Example l such as doctors and midwives have performed the ritual, mostly for financial gain in countries including India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Somalia, Kenya, Sudan, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Mali, and Nigeria. It is also practiced among the immigrants in Europe, Australia, Canada and the United States of America (Kontoyannis and Katsetos, p.32). It is called mutilation because there is no medical reason to remove otherwise healthy and useful organs of the body (Kontoyannis and Katsetos, p.32). FGM is a procedure that has no health benefits on girls or woman, causes severe psychological and physiological problems and it is most practiced in Africa as a cultural ritual. Moreover, Elizabeth Bransfield in her case studies involving FGM in ‘Gender, Anthropology and Religion’ argues that it is a religious ritual and cultural issue. Yet, I argue that it is overlooked that the ritual has no medical reasons because the female body is adversely harmed. Psychologically, the victim of FGM suffers a lot of pain during the procedure which is done mostly in unhygienic conditions and without anesthetic. Also, the removal of the clitoris is painful due to its having a lot of nerve endings. Injuries to the genital area could also leave scars on the victim’s body considering that the procedure is undertaken mostly unprofessionally, in poor lighting and at times in the bush. (Momoh, p.78). The thrashed, fearful and screaming victims could easily aggravate the injuries put on them by the operations of personnel who are not trained in handling medical cases. Lack of medical facilities could also result in dire consequences, including death in case of complications. Infections due to the use of unhygienic procedures is a common side effect that arises due to the use of unhygienic tools, dirty herbs or untested traditional medicines. Death and diverse medical conditions such as bacterial infections which result from the many underlying c onditions under which FGM is done. When the