FEMALE CIRCUMCISION

HARMFUL TRADITIONAL PRACTICES

There are about 240-250 ethnic groups in Nigeria with three major religions affiliations namely: Christianity, Islam and Traditional religion. Each of these groups has its own practices, norms and values.

In Africa, most of the cultural gender roles tend to favour men more than women and majority of the identified harmful practices are directed against women and children, which have practically become very vulnerable.

These traditional beliefs and practices vary from community to community and sometimes serves are identification marks for a particular tribe or clan e.g. Aleku practices found among the Idomites.

It is pertinent to note that the progenitors of these dangerous traditional practices never laid strong emphasis on human lives and dignity, women were treated with disdain and everything would be done to uphold a norm which most often is to satisfy the demands of a deity. Though there is a huge decline in these harmful practices, traces of them can still be found in our modern age. Some of these harmful traditional practices are: male preference, Food taboos, hot bath, ewu-ukwu, TBA(traditional birth attendance), male chauvinism, early marriage, hair cut to bereaved wives, FGM(female genital mutilation) which I intend to focus on.

FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION (FGM)

This is commonly referred to as female circumcision and it is comprised of all the procedures that involve partial or total removal of the female external genital organ for cultural or some other non-therapeutic reasons (WHO 1995). It is done as early as seven days after birth or during childhood and adolescence as an initiation into womanhood and marriage.

FGM is performed by the traditional birth attendants, some so called medical doctors and health workers and is carried out in three (3) ways namely: Clitoroidectomy, Excision and Infibulations.

· CLITOROIDECTOMY:
This involved the excision of the perpule, with or without excision of part of the clitoris. This practice is found among the Hausas and Fulanis.

* EXCISION:
It involves the excision of the prepule and clitoris together with partial or total excision of the labia minus. It is commonly practiced by the tribes of Southern Nigeria and the Middle Belt, Yoruba, the Igbos, Edo etc.
· INFIBULATION (Pharaonic procedure)
This involves the excision of the clitoris, labia minus and libia majus with the raw surfaces being stitched together around the introitos leaving a small opening for the exit of urine, penetration of penis and for menstrual flow. This type is commonly practiced in Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia.


PERCEIVED REASONS FOR PERFORMING FGM
1. FGM is performed with the aim to reducing women’s sexual desire in order to keep their virginity until marriage.
2. To reduce the size of the virginal and increase the husband’s enjoyment of the sexual act.
3. To prevent promiscuity as her libido increases with the sensitive clitoris.
4. For purification and initiation rites from adolescence to womanhood and marriage.
· For aesthetic purposes, beautification of vulva etc.

HARMFUL EFFECTS OF FGM
The clitoris is a highly sensitive erectile organ in a woman which plays a major role during sexual intercourse, likewise the vulva and majus which contains a complete nervous and muscular setting for normal sexual response with the excision of these organs, the woman is deprived of normal sexual response due to an inadequate stimulation from the clitoris.

Also, with the excision of the tip of the clitoris which contains the nerve endings, the stump is left behind which ends up inflicting a lot of pains at intercourse.

Furthermore, this excision may leave the woman with a scar which causes a loss to the elasticity of the virginal orifice contributing further pains during intercourse. When the woman keeps experiencing pains during intercourse, she may exhibit what is called ‘Vaginisnius’.

Other effects include:
· Tetanus
· Sepsis
· Dyspareania
· Septicemia
· Hemorrhage
· Introduction of H.I.V infection through non-sterile measures
· R.V.F, V.V.F. from prolonged obstructed labour
· Deprivation