Egypt struggles to end female genital mutilation

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Egypt struggles to end female genital mutilation

Post by DJKeefy »

In a tiny village in Egypt’s southern province of Assiut, 16-year-old Amany Shamekh, who wants to be an artist one day, recalls how she was illegally circumcised with a razor blade.

“The midwife came to the house, my mother took off my underwear and the lady said ‘hang in there’,” said Shamekh who grew up in the village of Awlad Serag.

“I felt the razor-blade, and when I saw the blood on the midwife’s hands I was going to die. I spent around a month unable to go to the bathroom because the wound hurt very much if it came in contact with water.”

Genital cutting of girls was banned in Egypt in 2008 and criminalized in 2016. But the practise often referred to as female genital mutilation (FGM) or circumcision remains a rite of passage and is often viewed as a way to promote chastity.

Villagers say husbands prefer wives to be cut and often ask young brides to undergo the procedure before their wedding.

“Every girl must be circumcised so she can get married,” said Amany’s mother Zeinab, who is 51. “It’s our ... tradition.”

The procedure is performed on both Muslim and Christian girls in Egypt and Sudan, but is rare elsewhere in the Arab world. It is also common in Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia.

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A 2016 survey by the U.N. Children’s Fund showed that 87 percent of women and girls aged 15-49 in Egypt have undergone the procedure.

According to the World Health Organization, more than 200 million girls and women have been cut in 30 countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

In the neighboring village of El-Wasata, Esraa Salah, 15, said her only memories of the night she was circumcised were the embarrassment at being naked before the doctor, fear when her mother and grandmother held her legs apart and extreme pain.

“A girl’s refusal of circumcision is useless because the decision is made since she is born. All a girl can do is to pray that god eases the pain of the operation,” Nada Salah, Esraa’s 14-year-old sister said.

Their grandmother, Mageda, said the practise cannot be stopped because it protects a girl’s chastity.

One of Mageda’s daughters contracted an infection after she was circumcised and cannot bear children. When asked about why she would allow the same to happen to her granddaughters Mageda said: “My dear, it’s all fate”.


Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-wome ... SKCN1GK1ZL


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Re: Egypt struggles to end female genital mutilation

Post by Dusak »

This barbaric, illegal and way outdated practice will never be fully ended. In my friends village, as the surrounding ones, its done to all female babies and young girls. She attempted to prevent it happening to all her nieces, but failed. What chances are there when the practice is controlled by, and demanded of, probably 97% of the countries male population. Just because, in the words of the fathers, it is to prevent their women folk ''getting hot.'' They, [the females] will always be dominated and controlled by the Egyptian males pathetic, idealistic ways of looking at things that are ''better for our women.'' Especially when there is no direct affect towards themselves.
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Re: Egypt struggles to end female genital mutilation

Post by carrie »

Dusak I have found that it's nearly always the women who insist on it being done if they don't then their daughters will never marry. It is illegal here in Egypt, thank Mrs. Mubarak for that, doesn't seem to bother anyone though and unless the operation goes wrong and someone dies then it is almost impossible to prove that it has been done. Apart from an examination of all the girls that is and who would want them subjected to that indignity.
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Re: Egypt struggles to end female genital mutilation

Post by Mad Dilys »

Very true Carrie, though I can't understand how having endured it they would wish it on their own child.

I have persuaded some men to leave their daughters intact with the argument of "You have a perfect baby, do you think you can improve on what God has given you? Why don't you leave it until the child can answer for herself? Then if she feels that she can improve on God's work it will be her and not you that are asked about this on judgement day."

A strong argument against is that Christian women follow the practice and that it doesn't happen in Saudi Arabia.
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Re: Egypt struggles to end female genital mutilation

Post by HEPZIBAH »

carrie wrote: Apart from an examination of all the girls that is and who would want them subjected to that indignity.
Meanwhile, in the UK...

I watched a programme last week. I think it was called FGM Detectives. It was quite an eye opener to discover that there is a dedicated detective and team trying to catch, and bring to court, those that carry out or facilitate or arrange for, the FGM of girls in the UK.

FGM has been illegal in the UK since 1985 and yet so far no one has been successfully prosecuted.

Apparently there are four particular levels of FGM. One is very difficult to detect once done and healed. The programme followed one particular case of a little girl. Her father, a taxi driver, had spoken fairly openly about how he wouldn't let his daughters be done, but then let slip he'd allow a particular method. This was picked up on and reported. Having done lots of work, the team naturally had to have the child examined and photographs taken. They were in no doubt that this particular 'op' had been done. Crown Prosecution were prepared to take it to court. The the professional witness (sorry, forget their real title) decided that the photographs were not good enough and the child had to undergo a second examination. By this time the witness decided that the child probably had endured this cutting, but that it had probably healed so it couldn't be seen anymore. Ultimately, the case was thrown out of court because of lack of sufficient evidence. It was also recorded that the person reporting the crime and the detective were not independent (wrong word again) because they were both heavily involved with an FGM charity that raises awareness and educates against FGM.

So, that poor child went through FGM, two invasive medical examinations, to no avail. If it had been dealt with in court fully, at least her case would have stood to help other girls.

If we are struggling with type of scenario in the UK, it can only be more difficult in places such as Egypt where so many are pro FGM and don't really want to make the changes.

If a parent took a razor blade and cut a child anywhere externally it would be considered child abuse and treated with far greater importance and urgency!
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Re: Egypt struggles to end female genital mutilation

Post by Major Thom »

Don't think you will ever end a practice that seems to be struck in the minds of many unintelligent people, who love to distribute harm suffering and everything else that goes with the practice.
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Re: Egypt struggles to end female genital mutilation

Post by HEPZIBAH »

In some parts of the world FGM is being tackled and fewer girls being abused in this way. Women and girls are finding their voices and strength in the community. It is they that will be the ones that win this war. No matter how much we dislike this tradition, we are not used to it being part of our culture. It is not ingrained in us - the way the ABC and 123 is. Perhaps we have to be more compassionate and understanding - our anger achieves nothing in and of itself. Change starts with individuals, never by a whole population overnight.
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Re: Egypt struggles to end female genital mutilation

Post by Who2 »

Personally I have always thought that this practice is aberrant, if one cannot pleasure a woman, What good are you really ?
But having a jar of 'pickled clitorisis' in my fridge I find quite amusing.
Mind you! just where do all those clitorissss end up ?
I often what happened to my foreskin, probably chucked in Dad's tropical fish tank..... 8)
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Re: Egypt struggles to end female genital mutilation

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Totally recommend I'Tonya http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5580036/?ref_=nv_sr_1
It's taken me two days to watch this, I keep wetting my 'pants it's hilarious.
It has a soft spot for me, as I was trained to skate aged 3 by Doreen Denny who's ice dance partner was Courtney Jones.
13 years later at Bournemouth Ice Rink I could not remember her or how to ice skate.... 8)
Ps: Wasn't it International Women's Day yesterday ? Time Women started kicking some arse.......imho...
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Re: Egypt struggles to end female genital mutilation

Post by Dusak »

I doubt that even a million woman march though all the main cities of Egypt would change anything for the better. All the government would state is that the law now states it is now an illegal practice, so stop demonstrating, get back in the kitchen where you should be or you could all have your breasts removed with a blunt rusty knife.
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