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Taking a Stand Against Practices That Harm Women
Throughout the world, practices that undermine the well-being of women while preserving male dominance endure -- often defended in the name of culture and tradition. But like slavery and foot-binding, they constitute egregious violations of basic human rights.
- At least 130 million women have been forced to undergo
female genital cutting. Another2 million are at risk each year from this degrading and dangerous practice.
- So-called "honour"
killings take the lives of thousands of young
women every year, mainly in Western Asia, North Africa,
the Middle East and parts of South Asia.
- At least 60 million girls who would otherwise be expected to be alive are "missing" from various populations as a result of
sex- selective abortions or neglect.
In most industrialized societies,
although gender–based violence is officially condemned,
it persists, implicitly sanctioned by messages in mass
media.
In some developing countries, practices
that subjugate and harm women – such as wife-beating,
‘honour’ killings, female genital cutting and dowry
deaths – are condoned as being part of the natural order
of things. Throughout much of Asia, a preference for
male children results in the neglect and sometimes infanticide
of girls, or their elimination by abortion in places
where prenatal tests are available to determine the
sex of the foetus.
Forced early marriage of young girls
or adolescents is another culturally-defended practice
that can cause lifelong psychological as well as physical
problems, especially those resulting from early childbearing.
And as conflicts among ethnic groups
rage, women and girls have increasingly become pawns
of war, and face rape and forced pregnancies. FGC, coerced
sex and early marriage are also factors in the spread
of HIV to women.
Female genital cutting (FGC) generally
refers to the removal of part or all of a girl's external
genitalia, and, in a more radical version (infibulation),
the stitching up of the vaginal opening. An excruciating
and sometimes deadly procedure, FGC is aimed at preserving
female chastity and marriage prospects. It achieves
this at the expense of a woman's sexual health and bodily
integrity.
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My two sisters, myself and our mother went to visit our family back home. I assumed we were going for a holiday. A bit later they told us that we were going to be infibulated. The day before our operation was due to take place, another girl was infibulated and she died because of the operation. We were so scared and didn’t want to suffer the same fate. But our parents told us it was an obligation, so we went. We fought back; we really thought we were going to die because of the pain. You have one woman holding your mouth so you won’t scream, two holding your chest and the other two holding your legs. After we were infibulated, we had rope tied across our legs so it was like we had to learn to walk again. We had to try to go to the toilet, if you couldn’t pass water in the next 10 days something was wrong. We were lucky, I suppose, we gradually recovered and didn’t die like the other girl. But the memory and the pain never really goes.
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In 1984, a United Nations working
group conducted a broad exchange of views on traditional
practices affecting the health of women and children.
Based on the number of women affected, the associated
toll on their health, and the possibility of modifying
the practice, and other criteria, the group concluded
that FGC should be given top priority by the international
community.
Female genital cutting is now on
the international agenda, and it is condemned by most
governments. Because of FGC’s devastating consequences
on women’s reproductive health, and because it is a
violation of their human rights, UNFPA is in the forefront
of advocating against and working to end the practice.
Severe pain
Shock
Haemorrhage
Tetanus or sepsis
Urine retention
Ulceration of the genital region and injury to adjacent tissue
Wound infection
Urinary infection
Fever
Septicaemia
Haemorrhage and infection can be of such magnitude as to cause death
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Anaemia, the formation of cysts
and abscesses, keloid scar formation, damage to the
urethra resulting in urinary incontinence, painful sexual
intercourse and sexual dysfunction, hypersensitivity
of the genital area.
Infibulation can cause severe scar
formation, difficulty in urinating, menstrual disorders,
recurrent bladder and urinary tract infection, fistulae,
prolonged and obstructed labour, and infertility (as
a consequence of earlier infections).
Cutting of the scar tissue is sometimes
necessary to facilitate sexual intercourse and/or childbirth.
Almost complete vaginal obstruction may occur, resulting
in accumulation of menstrual flow in the vagina and
uterus. During childbirth the risk of haemorrhage and
infection is greatly increased.
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Eradicating long-standing traditional practices does not happen overnight. One way to begin, though, is by information and advocacy that raises public awareness and changes the climate of public opinion. UNFPA supports national organizations who advocate against FMG because they are best placed to address specific cultural issues that sustain the practice. UNFPA is also active in efforts aimed at decision-makers at many levels. About ten African countries have outlawed the practice. The European Parliament also recently issued a strong condemnation of FGC.
"Consensus-building around social
issues is extremely difficult, because it touches the
identity of nations, communities and individuals. Discussion
of social questions polarizes viewpoints and may seem
to widen the gap between cultures. But in the end, the
overriding social purpose concentrates our minds and
enables us to bridge all cultural gaps—not because we
want to go home with an agreed form of words, but because
all of us, each in our own way, want to save people’s
lives."
-- UNFPA Executive Director Thoraya A.
Obaid
UNFPA also supports a number of
country level programmes to abolish FGC. Among the most
successful are those offer alternative safe rituals
to serve as rites of passage. Another component of successful
projects is the participation and support of local leaders,
including religious leaders, who thoroughly understand
existing norms, attitudes and social dynamics, and who
serve as agents of change.
UNFPA
supports many efforts to eliminate FGC >>
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