200 million girls and women alive today have been victims of female circumcision, an act that refers to the total or partial removal of the external female genitalia. Deeply rooted in the tradition of certain countries, it has dramatic consequences on the lives and health of these women.
Definition: what is an excision?
In the general sense of the term, an excision is the removal of one or more parts of organic tissue, usually during surgery. We can thus speak of excision of a cancerous tumour, for example. But the term excision is also used to designate more specifically total or partial removal of the external female genitalia (the labia majora, the labia minora and the clitoris). This act is part of female genital mutilation (FGM). “This term covers all interventions including the partial or total removal of the female external genitalia or any other lesion of the female genitalia that are performed for non-medical reasons (excision, infibulation, etc.)explains Diane Richard. FGM constitutes a brutal violation of the human rights and the physical and moral integrity of girls and women which has violent direct consequences: incredible suffering, heavy bleeding, infections (tetanus, AIDS, etc.), risk of incontinence, violent shock and death. In the long term, these mutilations cause serious consequences: vaginal, menstrual and sexual problems, increased risk of serious birth complications, psychological and psychiatric distress.“According to the UN, nearly 4.3 million girls are at risk of female genital mutilation in 2023.
It’s a way for men to control women’s sex life.
What are the reasons for female circumcision?
It’s about a ancestral tradition. This act is part of a rite of passage to adulthood. It is carried out around 15 years of the young girl, age at which she is supposed to be able to take a husband. However, this practice has gradually lost its cultural and traditional “meaning” and it is now not uncommon for little girls are circumcised before their 5th birthday. It’s a way for men to control women’s sex lives.
Excision is a surgical interventionbut it takes place often without anesthesia. It consists of total or partial removal of the clitoris, with or without the removal of the labia minora and labia majora. Only the visible part of the clitoris is removed. Today there are surgeries that can “fix” the damage of a clitoral excision. It is performed under general anesthesia. At the time of excision, the visible part was cut but not the body of the clitoris, still connected to the pubis by the suspensory ligament. The intervention consists of cutting this ligament to give the organ more length, so as to restore an aspect and a function as close as possible to normal. The healing phase lasts 3 weeks, after which the threads will fall out on their own.
Nearly 140 million girls and women in Africa have undergone female genital mutilation.
Is excision legal in France?
This act is illegal in most nations of the worldof which the France. However, this act is sometimes practiced on the territory, in a completely illegal way. In France, the number of circumcised women is estimated at 53,000. and many young girls and girls are threatened with it.
Which countries practice female circumcision?
Currently, at least 200 million women have been circumcised, in 31 countries. But it is estimated that by 2030, 2 million more women will undergo this act. If circumcision is performed in the Middle East, Asia and Latin Americait is mainly in the africa country that it is done. According to the NGO Plan International, the countries where the prevalence of excision among girls and women aged 15 to 49 is the highest are the Guinea (95%), Djibouti (94%), Mali (89%) and Egypt (87%). Nearly 140 million girls and women in Africa have undergone female genital mutilation.
Thanks to Diane Richard, spokesperson for Plan International France.
Sources:
– UNICEF, New York, 2016.
– INED 2017
– International plan
– UNICEF 2022