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Example research essay topic: Female Genital Mutilation Male Circumcision - 1,422 words

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Female Genital Mutilation Almost no one who has heard of the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is without some form of opinion of the custom, which affects 100 million women in 26 African countries, and elsewhere in the developing world. It has been declared a gross violation of the human rights of woman and female children. However at he same time some argue that the procedures are part of time-honored cultural rituals which mark the individuals as a full member of there society, and that no outsider has the right to impose his or her own values on a another culture. FGM has often been referred to as female circumcision and compared to male circumcision. FGM is far more drastic and damaging than male circumcision is, and the only way to compare the two would be for the male penis to be removed. Both practices include the removal of part of the genitalia that some may feel is quite unnecessary and also serve to perpetuate customs, however only one of them seeks to regulate and keep control over the body and sexuality of the individual.

The greatest measure of a family's honor is the sexual purity of its woman. In many Middle Eastern and African societies, an unmarried woman has virtually no rights, no status in society, and is severely limited in any economic recourse to income outside of what is provided by her family. Without circumcision, a girl can not marry and is thereby unable to fulfill her intended role, to produce legitimate sons to carry on her husbands patrilineage. Woman are assumed to be (by nature) sexually voracious, promiscuous, and unbridled creatures, morally too weak to be entrusted with the sacred honor of the family It is not the same for men. It is thought that a man has to do what a man has to do.

They circumcise the young girl before she knows her own body and before she can protest. This is to prepare her to become a future wife. They make her think what is between her legs is a monster, that if it is not cut it will make her horney, mentally sick and that she will not be stable in the marriage (fgm net). In a study conducted on 300 Sudanese woman, Hanny Lightfoot-Klien states To this date, it distinguishes decent and respectable woman from unprotected prostitutes and slaves, and carries with it the only honorable, dignified, and protected status that is possible for a woman there (17). Any transgression on the part of the woman disgraces the whole family, and only the most extreme measures will restore this honor. This may take the form of divorce, casting the woman out an in some cases death.

The term Female Genital Mutilation covers three main varieties of circumcisions: Sunna circumcision the removal of the prepuce and / or the tip of the clitoris. Clitorectomy the removal of the entire clitoris and the adjacent labia. Infibulation (also called paranoiac circumcision) the most extreme form, consists of the removal of the clitoris, the adjacent labia (majora and minora), and the joining of the scraped sides of the vulva across the vagina, where they are secured with thorns or sewn with catgut or thread. A small opening is kept to allow passage of urine and menstrual blood. An infibulated woman must be cut open to allow intercourse on the wedding night and closed again afterwards to secure fidelity to the husband.

Paranoiac circumcision is believed to insure this honor by not only decreasing an excessive sexual sensitivity in them, but by considerably dampening their sex drive. Furthermore, the actual physical barrier of the infibulation is believed to prevent rape. This is not always the case with small girls, as noted by Hanny Lightfoot-Klien small girls are sometimes brought into medical institutions for repair of tears resulting from sexual assault (380). Another wide belief even among the educated is that if a girl is not circumcised her clitoris will keep growing until it reaches the size of a penis, a belief which causes great revulsion. Without circumcision a girl is simply not marriageable, and the tighter her infibulation, the higher the bride price that can be obtained.

The communities that practice it see FGM as an act of love and rite of passage to womanhood. FGM is a traditional practice, which is usually performed primarily on children, adolescents and some adult woman. According to the World Health Organization over 130 million girls and woman (Month 21) in Africa have undergone some form of female genital mutilation and that there are approximately 6000 new cases every day (Toubia 712). The origins of this abuse are still being debated but some estimate it going back as many as six thousand years. Although the rituals differ slightly from culture to culture, it is generally passed on from one generation to the next. The practice is common throughout the Middle East, Africa and some parts of Asia.

FGM is mostly done in unsanitary conditions in which a midwife uses unclean sharp instruments such as razor blades, scissors, kitchen knives, and pieces of glass. These instruments are frequently used on several different girls in succession and are rarely cleaned, causing the transmission of a variety of diseases such as the HIV virus and other infections. Antiseptic techniques and anesthesia are generally not used, or for that matter heard of. What is particularly cruel about these procedures is that they are performed almost always during the childhood years. These young girls are traumatized and robbed of their sexuality before they are even able to understand what has happen to them. Maserak Ramsey a survivor of FGM states I had just turned six years old when my mother called me from the playground to tell me today is the day for circumcision.

She told me it is not going to hurt you, it is just like a pinch. Wow! There is no pain like that pain. There were three women, one covered my eyes from behind, and one opened my legs and went inside with her two big long hands to find the clitoris and grabbed it from the roots and cut and sliced. The third woman held me down.

After that, I drifted in and out of consciousness. All of these women thought they were doing something good for me. This was done before I even had the time to know my own body (fgm). This form of oppression is very deeply rooted in tradition and carries with it socioeconomic implications as well. What is perhaps most interesting is the lack if empathy for the girls pain and loss. John Kenyatta describes a traditional part of an initiation ceremony The girl is provided with a bell (ke gamba) which is tied on her right leg just above the calf, or sometimes above the knee, to provide the rhythm to the procession and also for the dance.

The girl is put in the middle of the procession, which moves slowly and silently until they reach the ideas homestead, where the procession is joined by the other initiates who area accompanied by other processions of relatives and friends dressed in their best clothing. In a moment each girl is covered with a new dress (cloak) by her sponsor. At this juncture the silence is broken and the crowd begins to sing joyously in these words: Can city ire korea ee-ho, nea mare rire-ee-ho, which means: Our children are brave, ee-ho (hurrah). Did anyone cry?

No one cried hurrah (131)! Laughter and cheering are all that is heard during the ritualistic ceremonies that accompany the procedure, no crying, no tears and no consolidation. This has a very symbolic and powerful effect on the girls because of the scaring of their identity as woman and symbolic reminder of their powerlessness within the society they live. FGM produces a large number of severe and long-term physical and psychological consequences. Because of the serious bodily harm caused by this practice, it can be concluded that it violates a womans human rights. However, historically the issue of FGM has been avoided because of its sensitive nature of interfering with cultural traditions.

African intellectuals of both sexes have become acutely aware that something is very wrong with these ancient blood rituals, and wish to see them abandoned. Currently there is an international and national momentum to openly address the issue. There is also an increasing recognition to support activists and share initiatives, which have succeeded in making some impact in eradicating FGM.


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Research essay sample on Female Genital Mutilation Male Circumcision

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