In Sierra Leone, there is a cultural practice that is detrimental to many young women. Female genital cutting, otherwise known as FGC, is a growing. FGC is a global issue but is more common in Africa. This issue can spark debates over gender equality, cultural autonomy, and human rights. (Boyle, 2005) The prevalence rate, in Sierra Leone, of FGC for women aged 19 to 49 years old is 90%. (The Orchid Project, 2019) About 40% of the circumcisions are done on girls between the ages of 10 to 14 years old. (The Orchid Project, 2019) At this age, those girls cannot really comprehend what is happening to them. They, also, aren’t given much of a choice of if they want to go through with the cultural ceremony or not. Currently, there is no law protecting the women from this ritual.
Sierra Leone also has the highest maternal mortality rate in the world, according to UNICEF. It seems as though the two might be connected. Occasionally, the cutting can cause excessive bleeding and the female can become very ill or die. The ceremonies are supposed to represent the women being ready for marriage and to be considered a woman of higher status in the community. FGC is the removal of female genitalia. (Sarkis, 2019) The cultural view of this is that the removal of a woman’s desire for sex makes her purer. This purity then makes her preferable among the men for marriage. In Sierra Leone, the ritual is often done to conduct women into a secret society. (Office of the Senior Coordinator for International Women’s Issues, Office of the Under Secretary for Global Affairs, U.S. Department of State, 2001)
Sometimes FGC can include the removal of everything. This includes the clitoris, the labia majora, and labia minora. It can even include the closure of the vaginal opening. As you can imagine, this causes extreme health issues. The women are much more likely to have issues during labor. It is a dangerous and painful tradition. On the wedding night, the woman will either be cut back open or ripped open during intercourse. Although intercourse is still possible, the woman will not feel any pleasure from it because the anatomy that creates the pleasure feeling is no longer there and cannot be put back.
Women who opt out of the ritual or fight against it are often shunned from the community. They are considered filthy and are looked at as prostitutes. Because of this, it is extremely rare to find a woman who doesn’t participate in FGC. That is one of the reasons the rate is so high in Sierra Leone. As this continues, the public health of women is becoming increasingly dangerous. The ritual continues to be done earlier in age. The younger the woman, the more dangerous it can be. Usually, the ritual is done far away from any medical facility. So, if something does go wrong, it is rare that the woman would survive.
FGC is a major danger to women. However, in Sierra Leone, it is looked at is a precious ritual.
Bibliography
Boyle, E. H. (2005). Female Genital Cutting: Cultural Conflict in the Global Community. JHU Press.
Office of the Senior Coordinator for International Women’s Issues, Office of the Under Secretary for Global Affairs, U.S. Department of State. (2001). Sierra Leone: Report on Female Gential Mutilation (FGM) or Femal Genital Cutting (FGC). United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Sarkis, M. (2019, July 28). Female Genital Cutting (FGC): An Introduction. Retrieved from The Female Genital Cutting Education and Networking Project: http://fgmnetwork.org/intro/fgmintro.php
The Orchid Project. (2019, July 28). Sierra Leone. Retrieved from Orchid Project: Working Together To End Female Genital Cutting: https://www.orchidproject.org/about-fgc/where-does-fgc-happen/sierra-leone/