FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION AND GIRL-CHILD EDUCATION.

Female genital mutilation is also referred to as circumcision; refers to all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia. Female genital mutilation is also used to describe injuries to the female genital organs for non-medical purposes. The mutilation alters the female organs, inflicting severe pain during and after the procedure. The consequences of the procedure are both short term and long term with the immediate consequence being death from excessive hemorrhaging. Female genital mutilation is practiced based on traditional beliefs, community/tribe dictate, religious inclination and cultural rites. The circumcision is usually carried out on girls from infancy to age 15. It is described as a rite that must be performed before the girl marries, thus its usually referred to as an induction to womanhood. Female circumcision is usually carried out by traditional midwives, who make the cuts using razor that is specific for the procedure. There are various methods of carrying out the procedure, with each procedure cutting a specific part of the female genitalia. The circumcision can be carried out in any of the following mode; 1) clitoridectomy; this refers to the total removal of the clitoris. 2) Infidibulation; refers to the narrowing of the vaginal opening, through the creation of a covering seal. The seal is formed by cutting and repositioning the inner and outer labia without removal of the clitoris. 3) Excision; this is the partial removal or total removal of the clitoris and labia minora with or without excising of the labia majora. 4) The other mutilation includes; pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterizing the genital area. The act of female genital mutilation is a painful and there are a lot of health risks attached to the exercise. The consequences are short term and long term, with the immediate consequence being death from hemorrhaging. The purpose of the mutilation is to prevent sexual immorality in the girl child. This procedure is a violation of the human right as well as right to life, to social protection and freedom from cruel practices. The practice has been banned about 3years ago, but its still a very fabric of culture and behavior in African countries. The effect of the mutilation is much more than the agony and pain that is unleashed, there is a reduction in life expectancy of women that were cut, compared to those that were not cut. A study by the UN , reveals that a quarter of girls and women in Kenya have undergone this mutilation. The effect of the mutilation on the work force and economic growth of the country is devastating because the women form a larger percentage in this sector. The normal female reproductive functions are distorted, resulting in reproductive health issues such as prolonged and painful menstrual cycles and urinary tract infections. The consequences of the circumcision is that women are controlled mentally, and socially ,it’s a form of social injustice and oppression that is meant to keep the women bound and helpless to an age long ritual that has no economic importance. Female genital mutilation has the following complications; 1) death from excessive bleeding during procedure. 2) wound infection; the trauma of the procedure, lives an open wound that easily gets infected with tetanus. 3) Abscess formation also occurs as a result of the procedure. 4) When infibulations is performed, the woman must be opened and sewed up ,at every childbirth, which usually predisposes to complications during subsequent delivery. The female mutilation also has effect on the urinary tract and bladder; the healing process usually with kelloid formation resulting in cyst formation and urine retention. The practice is not only a harrowing experience, it’s a demeaning one that is classified as cruelty to man kind. Girls in this situations cant go to school, they are usually married off at tender ages.This practice is one of the reasons the girl- child is not educated,and why many developing countries are struggling because the women are not empowered.The global goals of basic primary education and reduction of maternal deaths can only be achieved if this practice is banned/outlawed.