Yesterday, practically today at 4 in the morning (hey come on it's a weekend!) as I was surfing the net I landed
on the WHO website of the prevalence of female genital mutilation. Initially it
sounded ridiculous to me reading about it but later as I read the whole article I was shocked to
see there were figures of the mutilations accounting to about some 140 million girls having had undergone this , especially in the African and Asian continents. An average of about 4 girls a minute continue to be mutilated.
To add to this misery the age group affected are the
children. It is a very painful procedure and can have immediate effects like infection,
bleeding profusely leading to shock and death.It can also lead to tetanus,
Hepatitis and the fearsome HIV. But most importantly when these kids survive to
grow into mature, oppressed adults they have problems related to pregnancy and
other gynaecological problems.
Although I do not validate male circumcision too, but in
comparison this is extremely painful.
One of the various reasons given for this very atrocious act
is culture. Some people believe that the culture needs to be kept alive and the
so called educated people also tend to promote it. Others believe that it keeps
the female from getting sexually aroused which is considered horrendous for a
girl, well unlike a male! It ensures pre-marital virginity and inhibits extramarital sex because it reduces women's libido. And
she becomes ‘clean’. Some link it to religion although no religious text says anything in particular about it.
OH how I wish I could be this tiny little worm who could get
into these people’s brains and change the misplaced screws within! RELIGION IS
ALWAYS AN EXCUSE FOR HOW PEOPLE BEHAVE and is very sad.
Being children it does not
mean you can harm them. This is a human rights violation.
I strongly believe that a universal judicial system is
required for such acts. Educating about it in places where it is practiced from an early age would also be helpful.
Au Revoir.
