Female genital mutilation is known as one of the most urgent issues connected to violation of human rights. FGM involves complete or partial removal of external sex organs of a woman (Abdulcadir & Say, 2015, p. 294). This dangerous practice is considered to be a ritual aimed at making women uninterested in sex in order to prevent their “moral decay” and add sexual relations to the number of spheres that are fully controlled by men. Nowadays the practice of FGM still exists in Asia, Middle East, Africa and in some local communities all over the world. Genital mutilation is usually conducted when the girl is a baby or just before her sexual development. According to the statistical data, almost all the girls undergo this barbarous practice even before the age of five.
The video FGM in Sierra Leone tells us about the situation concerning this inhuman practice in West Africa (Cargbo, 2015). Throughout the video, women of different ages are being asked about their personal attitude to the genital mutilation practice. The thing that scares me the most is that their opinions are divided and some of them believe mutilating of their bodies to be a demonstration of careful attitude to them. Many of these women tend to blame themselves for wanting sex and this is why they believe FGM to be the solution of the problem (as many men want them to think). Fortunately, there are also opinions of nurses from Sierra Leone who act like a few voices of common sense; they discuss the real nature of this procedure and numerous health issues that it causes. As for me, this video seems to be shocking as a few girls speak in support of this practice. What is more, the situation is a catastrophe as almost ninety percent of girls and women in Sierra Leone have undergone the procedure.
There is no defence for those who claim genital mutilation to be a safe procedure which is good for women as it deprives them of sex sensitivity and estranges the problem of women’s unfaithfulness. There are plenty of negative consequences of the FGM ranging from increase of men’s control over women to various diseases caused by conducting the procedure in unhygienic conditions. One of the key problems caused by female genital mutilation is an increased risk of various infections that occurs due to hygiene offences during the procedure. What is more, such a serious intervention to bodies as genital mutilation is able to decrease body’s resistance to many diseases. Besides, abundance of FGM practice is closely connected to the education level.
The bigger number of the women are cut, the lower is education level in this country. What is more, the acceptance of FGM is more frequent in countries with strong religious beliefs where a woman who has undergone the procedure is supposed to be given a chance to atone her sins. Both problems of infection risks and knowledge deficiency are to be solved with help of nursing interventions. Promoting education is an essential measure that should be taken in order to solve both problems; dissemination of knowledge about women’s reproductive health would help to make women aware of the FGM danger. However, the first problem also concerns girls and women who are already initiated. As for the possible solutions, they should get necessary medical assistance and have a regular medical examination as it can mitigate the negative effects of FGM (Abdulcadir & Say, 2015, p.303).
References
Abdulcadir, J., & Say, L. (2015). Research gaps in the care of women with female genital mutilation: An analysis. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 122(3), 294-303.
Cargbo, S. [wayoutarts]. (2015). FGM in Sierra Leone [Video file]. Web.