A 12 year old girl is tightly grasped by many women, forced to lie down while one of them cuts a part of her genital to make her pure. The child doesn’t only bear the physical pain but also undergoes drastic mental and emotional imbalance. Her life has changed and she is not a child any more.

Despite stringent laws against it, Female genital mutilation (FGM) is still prevalent in many parts of the world. This started as a cultural practice in Africa approximately 2000 years ago. It is primarily a cultural practice which defines members of these cultures. Hence, in order to eliminate the practice one must eliminate the cultural belief that a girl will not become a woman without this procedure.

The age, the procedure carried out varies from just after birth to sometimes during the first pregnancy, but most cases occur between the ages of four and eight. Mostly this procedure is done without the care of medically trained people, due to poverty and lack of medical facilities. The girl is held down by older women to prevent her from moving around. The instruments used by the mid-wife will vary and could include any of the following items; broken glass, a tin lid, razor blades, knives, scissors or any other sharp object. These items usually are not sterilized before or after usage. Once the genital area for removal is gone, the child is stitched up and her legs are bound for up to 40 days.

In order to have sexual intercourse the woman has to be opened up in some fashion and in some cases cutting is necessary. After child birth some women are re-infibulated to make them (tight) for their husbands.

The procedure that intentionally alters or injures female genital organs for non-medical reasons is an internationally recognised violation of the human rights of girls and women. It has no health benefits at all. Rather, it can cause severe bleeding and problems urinating, and later, potential childbirth complications and newborn deaths.

The immediate complications include severe pain, shock, haemorrhage (bleeding), tetanus or sepsis (bacterial infection), urine retention, open sores in the genital region and injury to nearby genital tissue. The Long-term consequences include recurrent bladder and urinary tract infections, cysts, infertility, an increased risk of childbirth complications and newborn deaths, the need for later surgeries.

An estimated 100 to 140 million girls and women worldwide are currently living with the consequences of FGM. It is mostly carried out on young girls sometime between infancy and age 15 years. The practice is most common in the western, eastern, and north-eastern regions of Africa, in some countries in Asia and the Middle East, and among certain immigrant communities in North America and Europe. In Africa an estimated 92 million girls from 10 years of age and above have undergone FGM.

It comprises all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. The practice is mostly carried out by traditional circumcisers, who often play other central roles in communities, such as attending childbirths. However, recently, FGM is being performed by many health care providers as well.

The practice of FGM reflects deep-rooted inequality between the sexes, and constitutes an extreme form of discrimination against women. The practice also violates a person's rights to health, security and physical integrity, the right to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and the right to life when the procedure results in death.

The causes of female genital mutilation include a mix of cultural, religious and social factors within families and communities. Where FGM is a social convention, the social pressure to conform to what others do and have been doing is a strong motivation to perpetuate the practice. It is often considered a necessary part of raising a girl properly, and a way to prepare her for adulthood and marriage. It is often motivated by beliefs about what is considered proper sexual behaviour, linking procedures to premarital virginity and marital fidelity. In many communities it is believed that FGM can help restrict "illicit" sexual acts by women. It is also associated with cultural ideals of femininity and modesty, which include the notion that girls are “clean” and "beautiful" after removal of body parts that are considered "male" or "unclean".

Although no religious scripts prescribe the practice, practitioners often believe the practice has religious support.

Many girls consent to comply with the practice believing they will be outcasts if they are not cut. The mothers believe they are doing the best for their daughters. Some have no idea of the lifetime of hurt it can involve or the medical implications.

In 1997, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a joint statement with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) against the practice of FGM. Another statement was then issued in February 2008 to support increased advocacy for the abandonment of FGM. This statement highlights the increased recognition of the human rights and summarizes research about why FGM continues, how to stop it, and its damaging effects.

The victims of this torturous practice are often scarred mentally and physically. One study among Egyptian women found 50% of women who had undergone FGM "endured" rather than enjoyed sexual intimacy.

It is a wonder how even in this 21st century many of us still believe in illogical and often in-human practices. A practice like FGM should not only be banned globally, the perpetuators should be punished in a manner that people don’t dare to take this step in the name of culture.

Team MSN She