Is a barbaric practice which unfortunately continues to be practised in the Northern Regions of Ghana. The practice was made illegal in 1994 although there is a low prosecution rate and a 2003 study in the Bawku district of the upper East Region indicated a prevalence of 85% in that area.
FGM is classified into 4 types:
Type I: Type I FGM as the partial or total removal of the clitoris and/or the prepuce.
Type II: partial or total removal of the clitoris and the labia minora, with or without excision of the labia majora.
Type III: Infibulation: narrowing of the vaginal orifice with creation of a covering seal by cutting and repositioning the labia minora and/or the labia majora, with or without excision of the clitoris.
Type IV: all other harmful procedures to the female genitalia for non-medical purposes, for example, pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterisation. This includes a diverse range of practices, such as pricking the clitoris with needles, burning or scarring the genitals as well as ripping or tearing of the vagina.
FGM is usually performed by a local person, with negligible medical knowledge and crude tools, such as razors or broken glass that are not sterilized. It is normally performed on children from birth to 18 years but can sometimes be performed on women.
It is an incredibly traumatic experience: the girl will be forcibly held down with legs pinned apart and then the operation, which rarely uses an anaesthetic on an extremely sensitive area, can take up to 20 minutes to perform. After the operation cotton padding will be applied and the girl's legs tied together, for up to a period of weeks.
There are serious health consequences following female genital mutilation. Immediate effects include: severe pain, excessive bleeding (haemorrhage), shock (from pain or haemorrhage), risk of infection (from unsterilized equipment and poor wound management), HIV transmission (from cutting instruments used for multiple procedures), death (from haemorrhage, infection or shock) and psychological problems.
Long term effects include: Chronic pain, infections that can lead to infertility, kidney failure, sepsis and death, HIV/AIDS, pain and decreased sexual pleasure during sexual intercourse, childbirth complications and psychological consequences including fear of sexual intercourse, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression.
Also, death rates of babies during and just after birth are significantly increased from mothers who have suffered female genital mutilation: 15% higher for those whose mothers had Type I, 32% higher for those with Type II and 55% higher for those with Type III genital mutilation. The figures are thought to be even more severe for those who deliver outside a hospital setting.
As well as these serious health consequences associated with FGM, female genital mutilation violates human rights: equality and non-discrimination on the basis of sex; right to life (when procedure results in death); right to freedom from torture or cruelty, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment; rights of the child; right to the highest attainable standard of health. There are various reasons why female genital mutilation is performed. It is often thought of as a way to ensure a girl/woman will still be a virgin when she marries and will be faithful. It is deeply ingrained in local traditions, often seen as a rite of passage to womanhood, and departing from the expected social conditions can lead to condemnation and ostracism. It is a tough but vital problem to tackle. Click here to see how Youth Alive is helping.
Information taken from WHO Eliminating Female genital mutilation An interagency statement OHCHR, UNAIDS, UNDP, UNECA, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNIFEM, WHO 2008
