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The Modern Day Reality Of FGM

*TW THIS POST TALKS ABOUT TOPICS SUCH AS RAPE, SUICIDE, ABUSE, CHILD MARRIAGE ETC*

This post was inspired by my own personal experience and a recent story in the news about this awful crime. I then took inspiration from other GAG users' posts.

What is it?

Female circumcision is defined as "the action or traditional practice of cutting off the clitoris and sometimes the labia of girls or young women." It is a procedure that has no health benefits for girls or women. Over 200 million women have had this procedure done in over 30 countries. It is mostly carried out on girls between the ages of birth to 15 years of age.

What are the effects?

  • Severe pain
  • Infertility
  • Difficulty giving birth
  • Excessive bleeding
  • Genital swelling
  • Fever
  • Infections
  • Urinary problems
  • Wound healing problems
  • Shock
  • Death (In some cases)
The Modern Day Reality Of FGM

My friend's story:

I recently found out that one of my friends had taken her own life. We then discovered she was a victim of FGM. She grew up in the UK but had family in Africa and would make trips back and forth, so a lot like me growing up.

I found out when she was 13 she had the procedure and told no one. She was ill and I didn't see her much. When she was 14 she was sent back to Africa. We all assumed she would continue her education out there. She was married just 3 months later.

She flew back a few times. She was quiet and didn't talk much. We had found out when we were 16 that she got married but we assumed it was just part of her culture and she said she "was happy"

She had difficulty getting pregnant and was often raped by her husband and his friends. Over the 10 years, she had multiple miscarriages. She had also gotten the arm implant when she was last over here and that was the last time we saw her.

I knew she was due to get the implant out in 2022. However, sometimes a few months before she was due to fly back to get it removed she was found out and had it cut out of her arm. She was therefore then gang-raped and sadly became pregnant.

We had a WhatsApp group and the last message she wrote said "I love you all" We knew something was wrong but trying to find where she was near enough impossible.

I don't want to go into any more detail as this was very painful for me. She was one of my first friends who were nice to me when I first moved to the UK and she was such a kind-hearted and lovely person. We never questioned any of this and I regert it so much. I know she is in a much better place now ❤️

The Modern Day Reality Of FGM

What is the worldwide legal status of FGM?

Countries with laws or regulations against FGM include Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Djibouti, Ghana, the United Kingdom, Guinea, Sudan, Sweden, and the United States. Canada, France, and the United Kingdom also have existing laws against assault and child abuse that cover FGM.

Governments that support FGM eradication include Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Kenya, Niger, Senegal, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo and Uganda.

What can governments do to help eradicate FGM?

To be effective, FGM eradication programs should be led by governments and carried out at national, regional, and local levels. These efforts include:

  • Making a strong and visible political commitment to ending FGM
  • Developing a legislative and policy framework to eradicate FGM, including a law banning the practice for girls and non-consenting adult women
  • Mainstreaming FGM prevention strategies into policies and programs that deal with reproductive health, education, and literacy development
  • Providing accurate and accessible information and education about FGM
  • Mobilizing communities to develop their own FGM eradication strategies

What to do if you suspect or are a victim of FGM?

Contact the police if you or someone you know or you are in immediate danger of FGM. This is important for safeguarding young girls and women. There are also lot lots of helpful information online.

Sources:

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/female-genital-mutilation

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-64173452

https://www.nspcc.org.uk/what-is-child-abuse/types-of-abuse/female-genital-mutilation-fgm/

2 5

Most Helpful Guys

  • Thank you Lady Artsy. I knew so little other than the practice existed. The reality seems worse than I could have imagined. I'm so sorry about your friend; you honor her with what you wrote.

    • Thank you so much!

  • Is it "culture" or religious in origin?

    The practice is barbaric and evil. But the treatment of her was also barbaric and evil.

    • Both I believe and yes I agree

    • No. It is purely cultural. Purely African to be accruate. People tie it to their religion but that religion has no place for this practice.

Most Helpful Girl

  • Beautiful MyTake Artsy. Thank you for sharing this horrible practice and making other people aware 🙏

    • Tysm! 💖

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What Girls & Guys Said

1 7

  • Yeah it's mostly propaganda bullshit, though. While yes it does happen, it's mostly not to the scale you and others confused like you are trying to declare.

    In essence you're trying to legalise denigration of certain races and cultures under the guise of "protecting young girls".

  • This is terrible. Some things people have done to children are just appalling

  • For those who are gonna come on here talking about male circumcision, it is a totally different thing altogether. Yes, circumcision of male infants/children is not ethical, but FGM is something completely different. Do not compare the two issues. FGM affects the sexual and reproductive capabilities of women, and does not provide any potential health benefits either.

    There have been many cases where the affected women cannot be penetrated without surgical intervention. It also comes with mental issues and scarring that are made worse by being forced to undergo the 'procedure'.

    You will realise just how barbaric it is when you see the blood at the places where the girls sit and are made to bleed out on. The fact that this is performed mostly in third-world countries also means no proper hygiene, which causes infection, potentially sepsis, which results in death.

    And couple that with the abuse the poster's friend suffered? I have no words to describe how horrible it was. That compounds the mental health decline after undergoing the 'procedure'. It's horrible, and I have no idea why people think it is a good idea. Some of the people who support FGM claim that it reduces libido and prevents pre-marital sex, when all it does is cause medical problems in areas where medical facilities are scarce, and cause trauma for the poor girls!

    So if you are here to talk about male circumcision, bugger off and write your own MyTake. Do not compare FGM to male circumcision.

    And @artsy_dragon I am so sorry your friend had to experience all that abuse on top of FGM. It must really feel crappy to lose someone you care about to suicide then uncover such inhumane reasons behind it. Please make sure you yourself are ok as well, this kind of discovery does screw with your mental health quite a fair bit.

    • Mutilating the genitals of a child is mutilating the genitals of a child. Period! Cutting the natural protective skin off of a penis does not “benefit” the penis… it is simply an excuse. It is done without anesthesia and is just as barbaric. But the “comparison” is irrelevant. You are still mutilating a child's genitals.

    • The after-effects of FGM are worse than male circumcision. And nowhere did I compare the two. In fact I mentioned specifically to NOT compare the two. I agree that male infant/child circumcision is not ethical and is an issue that requires immediate attention. However here I am highlighting that FGM and male infant circumcision are two totally different things with different effects.

  • Female genitals should never be mutilated like that. How would guys who do that feel about having their penis removed (total or partial)?

  • "Cutting Female clitoris" 😭💀💀

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    INTERGALACTIC SPACE BAR!..

    Alien 1: Is earth a Good place to Visit?

    Alien 2: Nah, they Hanged Jesus, chop their own dick and clit's!

    Thanos : I tried fixing it, but...

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    Megatron : And Optimus wants to protect such Humans!..

  • @Degenerate knows a victim of FGM

    • I'm a woman

  • Uneducated savagery

    • Sorry please explain

    • Is this a dig at me?

    • This is not uneducated. These cultures have access to all the education and knowingly choose to brutalize women because of how they view women's value in society.

    • Show All

  • Yeah it sucks. Although it’s only shitty 3rd world places that do to females what “civilized” 1st world places still openly do to boys.

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