Saturday, April 23, 2016

FGM: A report from one woman

there are several types of female genital mutilation, the smallest being just a ritual cut, as is done in Indonesia, but the main one used in Africa/Somalia/Egypt and parts of the Middle East is truly a mutilation that affects the woman's ability to pee, have sex, and have babies.

BBC article on one woman's quest to pee without pain.

The repercussions of a procedure that either involves removing the clitoris (type one), removing the clitoris and the inner smaller labia (type two), a cut and a forced narrowing of the vaginal opening (type three), or any kind of harmful mutilation in the genitals (sometimes referred to as type four), are wide-ranging. The day-to-day reality for survivors can be bleak. ...
TheNHS lists urinary tract infections, uterine infections, kidney infections, cysts, reproductive issues and pain during sex as just some of the consequences. A "reversal" surgery, as defibulation is sometimes termed, can help to relieve some of the symptoms by opening up the lower vagina.

"But it's not as simple as carrying out the physical care, which we can carry out as clinicians," says Fyle, who comes from Sierra Leone, where FGM is widespread. "It's about the long-term (psychological) consequences - some people describe it as worse than PTS (post-traumatic stress), which soldiers in the battlefield have."

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