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I was horrified when my great aunt told me about her experience with female circumcision, or female genital mutilation as it is more rightly called.
She was 13-years old when it happened. She described it as being a painful experience, but, for reasons I can’t understand, she was proud that the procedure was done. In fact, she celebrated it.
“You have to understand,” she told me, “... in those times when traditions were carried over from generation to generation, it was considered an honour, a privilege even. I was not forced like in some cultures, I made the decision.”
I could tell that she felt some sort of empowerment after saying those words. In a way, I was glad that she viewed her “circumcision” in that way. But she was obviously conditioned. Because for most other women it is not uplifting at all.
FGM is a procedure where a girl’s inner labia and clitoris is removed. In many of the countries where this is practiced this procedure is done without anaesthetics, medical aftercare or consent from the patient. It leaves most women with painful conditions that they carry into later life, and robs most of them of the ability to feel sexual pleasure.
Leyla Hussein is a 32-year old activist who underwent genital mutilation as a child. According to the Mail Online, she carried out an experiment in order to determine whether political correctness plays a role in the fight against cutting. Her experiment in Northampton, UK, went horribly wrong when 19 people signed a fake pro-FGM petition within 30 minutes.
Even though she told shoppers that cutting was “just mutilation”, they still signed to protect the “cultural practice”. Only one person refused to put their signature on the bogus petition.
Layla warned that politically correct attitudes could hamper the fight against FGM. She believes that it is violence and not a culture.
Take a look at Layla’s video explaining what female circumcision really is:
Follow Women24 and and like us on Facebook.
What are your views on FGM? Should women still undergo this procedure?
She was 13-years old when it happened. She described it as being a painful experience, but, for reasons I can’t understand, she was proud that the procedure was done. In fact, she celebrated it.
“You have to understand,” she told me, “... in those times when traditions were carried over from generation to generation, it was considered an honour, a privilege even. I was not forced like in some cultures, I made the decision.”
I could tell that she felt some sort of empowerment after saying those words. In a way, I was glad that she viewed her “circumcision” in that way. But she was obviously conditioned. Because for most other women it is not uplifting at all.
FGM is a procedure where a girl’s inner labia and clitoris is removed. In many of the countries where this is practiced this procedure is done without anaesthetics, medical aftercare or consent from the patient. It leaves most women with painful conditions that they carry into later life, and robs most of them of the ability to feel sexual pleasure.
Leyla Hussein is a 32-year old activist who underwent genital mutilation as a child. According to the Mail Online, she carried out an experiment in order to determine whether political correctness plays a role in the fight against cutting. Her experiment in Northampton, UK, went horribly wrong when 19 people signed a fake pro-FGM petition within 30 minutes.
Even though she told shoppers that cutting was “just mutilation”, they still signed to protect the “cultural practice”. Only one person refused to put their signature on the bogus petition.
Layla warned that politically correct attitudes could hamper the fight against FGM. She believes that it is violence and not a culture.
Take a look at Layla’s video explaining what female circumcision really is:
Follow Women24 and and like us on Facebook.
What are your views on FGM? Should women still undergo this procedure?
