What are your thoughts on Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C)?

[Yuffie999]

Female Genital Mutilation or Cutting, as defined by The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations (UN), is “any partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or any other injury of the female genital organs for nonmedical reasons.” It is also sometimes referred to as “female circumcision.”

Based on this definition, and any prior knowledge you may have on this issue, what is your thoughts on it?

If anyone lives in a country where this is practiced for religious, political, cultural, or societal reasons, please share your views and why you believe or know that it is practiced where you live. If you do not live somewhere this is practiced, simply share your thoughts.

It can cause horrible medical and psychological trauma, yet it is still practiced today. Some reasons are to help ensure virginity, for hygiene, a rite of passage to be considered a woman, a condition of marriage (in some countries, a woman is not able to be wed unless she undergoes this surgery), belief that it increases a man’s sexual pleasure, religious duty, and many more reasons.

What do you believe can be done about it, if anything?

What do you think about it being a double standard? Many men are circumcised (typically at an age where they cannot remember), but for the women who must endure this, they remember the pain, and are often old enough to understand what is being done to them.

Please be respectful and mindful that though to many, this may be gruesome and horrific, it is still a cultural norm in some places, and to be rude is to insult their customs, which is not something I am seeking in this thread.

Thank you for your thoughts! I am excited to see what you guys think.

[Bluemax]

My thoughts on it is that is a complete shit practice. It is cruel and evil and needs to end, now and for all times. I don't give a damn how many centuries it dates back to as a tradition. The Aztecs, for centuries, had a religious tradition of strangling babies. Not all traditions are good traditions.

But more should be done. I doubt it's a coincidence that in places where female genital mutilation is practiced, instances of rape and violence against women are rampant. Women in those parts of the world are thought of as little more than property which must (sometimes begrudgingly) be kept alive. That mindset, that savage ignorance, NEEDS TO END. I don't care if it's a cultural tradition.

In Kenya there is a village called Umoja (Swahili for "Unity"). Men are banned from living there. About 50 women and 200 children, almost all refugees fleeing a cruel patriarchal society that allows female mutilation, corporal punishment for wives, punishing women for being rape victims, forcing them to marry men old enough to be their grandfathers, and honor killing, make their home in this village. They live frugally, but peacefully. Their children, boys and girls alike, are educated instead of being forced to tend cattle. They are protected by a wall of thorns and barbed wire. In daytime, they open the gates and welcome anyone, but at night only women and children may sleep there.

The men and patriarchal councils of neighboring villages are often outraged. Some men have attacked the village or attempted to abduct their former "wives."

The interesting thing to me is the men in surrounding villages focus their anger on Umoja, rather than looking at their society and themselves and asking, "How badly have we fucked things up that the women can't stand being around us?" As far as female genital mutilation goes, why aren't they asking themselves, "Isn't it better to become better fathers, better husbands, better friends, better brothers, and better lovers than to cut off their clits to ensure their faithfulness? Isn't it better to earn their love and respect rather than force it from them?" And forced love isn't love at all.

Now, I know that when one is steeped in tradition, it's like a fog surrounds the mind which is difficult to penetrate. Whereas I think their society is cruel, many of the men are not necessarily cruel, but rather clouded by this centuries old fog called "tradition," and it's difficult to see through...

[Bluemax]

This is why I hope that in addition to safeguards for women, the young men of these societies are enlightened as well. This fog has to be lifted until they see with blinding clarity that women aren't property and they never were. You want a woman to love you? By God, be a decent man and earn it (mark these words, men of GAG)

[Bluemax]

P. S., I oppose male circumcision, but it's not even close to female genital mutilation.

[Bluemax]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umoja,_Kenya

Wikipedia article on Umoja.

[Yuffie999]

I love this reply! It’s the most well-thought out and it is THE response I’ve been hoping for. Thank you for sharing your views on this abhorrent practice!

[tek555_pessimist]

I intensely dislike it (female circumcision), and wish it could be removed from the world in all its forms. As for male, if it is by the person's choice I have no issues with it, if it is involuntary then that is a problem. Difference being that I cannot see anyone sane voluntrily agreeing to female circumcision (without external pressure).

[Yuffie999]

^^ that’s it exactly right there.
Women agree to it because of the external pressure. Where their society puts this thought in their heads that they cannot be accepted or wed if they are not subjected to FGM/C. If it were not a cultural norm in those places, it would not be desired the way it is, I’m sure.

[LisaLisa89]

FGM is an abhorrent practice which needs to be eradicated.
Male circumcision is also abhorrent when carried out for religious or cultural reasons (there are some cases of genuine medical need of course). However, the damage caused by male circumcision, particularly when carried out on minors, is generally nothing like as serious and life-changing as FGM.
In an ideal world we would ban mutilation completely, but the needs of the girls are much more urgent than those of the boys. We need to eradicate FGM first before then working towards equal treatment for boys.

[Anonymous]

I disagree with any form of genital mutilation, male or female.

[gavacho2014]

The only opinion that I can give is that this is a horrible crime and should be banned.
If feel that people either male or female should have the right to choose what they do to their bodies but this is not the case. Even in the "male" circumcision cases, these boys weren't given the choice to make. Circumcision comes from a Jewish religeous tradition and was adopted into the Judeo Christian faith. It was to show sign that you are a Jew and of Gods chosen people. It's wrong to do things to people and take away their rights of choice. Any proponent reason to do these things is nothing more than a bullshit means of control.

[tartaarsaus]

Female genital mutilation, interestingly, comes into play in many forms varying severity. For example, there is a variant (10% of all FGM) where effectively a lot is cut out, with the vagina being sown tight with just a little gap for bodily fluids. It's called infibulation. FGM can be vile.

There obviously is a double standard regarding men and women and circumcision. I'm circumcised either way and would probably circumcise any sons I have, so I'm part of the double standard. For me personally, I don't particularly mind me being circumcised.

Is there a logical and rational for there being a double standard? Probably not.

[tartaarsaus]

The picture is the infibulation thing

[_乃尺OЩ刀_TITI]

Ban that shit. Some people call it as female circumcision and that's misleading, because it cuts off clit, labia and other stuff, it's clearly a mutilation. That's like cutting the meatus and corona of a penis, not just the foreskin...

It's an outdated and dangerous practice, what needs to be done is to actually show the communities who practice it as dangerous. Educate people about it, I know easy to be said but in reality these progress are slow to come by to people who live in those places. Where many are peripheral places and most often times they won't abandon it because they have the need to follow a tradition in their culture to give an example of the factors that would keep it alive.

[TheShyPrep]

You wrote a lot, and I'm not gunna read any of it. My stance is, I'm okay with male circumcision because I would rather be dead than be uncircumcised in America. Men are okay with our body parts being "mutilated" to look better and be cleaner, and I think if there's a way to prevent a girl from growing into an outtie vagina, they should standardize it. Pretty dicks are expected, so why not pretty vaginas? Like seriously for real, something needs to be done about all the nasty, ugly, outtie vaginas out there, and it's not fair that you can only k ow if she has an ugly vagina once it's too late to back out.

[Yuffie999]

If you took the time to read my post, you’d understand this is in no way what I was discussing. Women, in many countries, are subjected to having different surgical procedures that harm their vaginas severely. They often will have their clitoris removed or even sewed up enough to where they can only urinate and have menstrual flow pass through.

There is nothing “pretty” about what is done to these women. It is simply a cultural, religious, societal, etc. norm in some places.

I’m not exactly sure you would enjoy being circumcised now, as a grown adult, where you’re able to feel the excruciating pain.

[TheShyPrep]

Okay I was totally off topic, whatever idrc. But had I not been circumsized at birth, I would opt to have it done now. I have one friend who isn't cut and he's a good looking guy but has zero confidence because he doesn't want girls to see his dick.

[SmoMan71]

Infant genital mutilation is a seriously fucked up thing to do to a kid, regardless of gender.

[jeremythedrummer]

Its just stupid. People deserve the right to decide what to do with their bodies, not to be forced into "circumcision" , male or female.

[Sataya]

It should stop unless some women prefer it for some reason.

[SportsBrah]

Any form of genital cutting should be illegal on either women or men.

[artsy_dragon]

I know this is old but I did a Mytake on this if you wanna check ot out 🤗

[Volvagia]

makes my vagina cringe reading those words

[Yuffie999]

Doesn’t it? It’s sad that many women have to endure this.

What’s interesting is that some women desire it. Simply because they were raised in a society that values it so heavily they will not be accepted without it.

[ladsin]

It's bad

[awanti95]

Useless practice

[Anonymous]

🤢🤢🤢🤢