Efforts are being made by UNICEF to derail the Female Genital Mutilation (circumcision of the girl child) in sudan, popularly known as FGM.
Female Genital Mutilation, popularly known as FGM is the circumcision of the girl child. It is mostly done a few days after the child is born or anytime during her puberty. The idea behind this concept is that it is a means of controlling a girl’s sexuality and protecting her chastity. In certain societies, it is even seen as a rite of passage. It is a harmful process which can lead to urinary and vaginal infections, hemorrhaging and even infertility.
Efforts are being made by UNICEF to derail the culture. Today, a girl is about one third less likely to be circumcised than she was decades ago. They are in support of the formulation of policies that seek to outlaw the practice of FGM.
Whereas the impact of their activities are being reflected positively in certain places, it does not seem to be the same in Sudan, where about 86% of women have undergone the process. Currently, brides in Sudan are being forced to undergo the whole process of genital mutilation again because should it be realized that she is not a virgin, her marriage may not be a pleasant one. Thus, they get stitches to narrow the vaginal opening and project them as though they have never had sex. These stitches come away when she has her first sex with the newly wedded husband. According to an anonymous victim, who is a university graduate, she opted for the process again because her husband to be may never trust her should he discover she has had sex before their marriage. She may be banned from going out or even using a mobile phone.
However, these procedures are not allowed by the Sudanese Medical Council. Midwives who indulge in the practice are at risk of having their equipment confiscated and jobs being taken from them.
A scheme, the Saleema Initiative, which has been in place since 2008, is aimed at protecting the girl child from genital cutting within the context of efforts to promote abandonment of the practice at the community level. It has even sparked interests in neighboring countries such as Somalia and Egypt.
According to unicef, nearly nine out of 10 Sudanese women aged 15 to 49 have been cut.
This thing is also practice in Asia and the Middle East. What do you think about this? Let us know your mind in the comment.
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