Be warned. The writing below is raw and factual.
Just imagine a woman that we shall call her Gugu. As a child, Gugu had a procedure of Female Genital Mutilation called Infibulation. A ritual removal of the clitoris and labia, stitching together the edges of the vulva to prevent sexual intercourse.
Now Gugu could be your daughter, sister, friend, or colleague. She is one of almost 200 million girls and women that has been subjected to this harmful procedure of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
Female Genital Mutilation is a torturous, cruel, and inhumane procedure that involves the partial removal or total removal of the female genitalia for non-medical reasons.
It is a violation of the basic rights of women and girl’s health and their development and must be eradicated. Complications arise with FGM that can cause severe bleeding, swelling, and severe pain with complications including infections, difficulty urinating and development of cysts and abscesses, genital ulcers plus childbirth complications with a high risk of newborn deaths.
FGM poses long-term scars, psychological problems, and trauma on young girls and women that have forcibly been violated with this harmful practice with no justification.
It reflects the profound established disparity between the genders and comprises an outrageous type of oppression against females. It is almost consistently completed on minors and is an infringement of children’s rights.
FGM reflects deep-rooted inequality between the sexes, and abuses female’s privileges to their wellbeing, and security. It establishes an extreme form of discrimination from ongoing torture and brutal treatment throughout a woman’s life, with no health benefits; only resulting in harm and occasionally death, knowing that 3 million girls are at risk each year.
We need to care for those who have experienced the procedure of Female Genital Mutilation. Keep reminding ourselves that each experience we have is at the same time being had or has been had by everybody around us. Sometimes not to the same extent that some endure. We hide or suppress our emotions. The transparency of letting the heart lead the way, we simply need our best intention, a pure heart, and the greatest desire to fill the world with love and light.