Female circumcision, also known as female genital cutting and female genital mutilation (FGM), is the ritual removal of some or all of the external female genitalia. [1] [3] Male circumcision is the (partial) removal of the prepuce. [2] Traditional, cultural and/or religious reasons are mostly the cause of this procedure. [EXTERIOR VIEW] [INTERIOR VIEW]

Male circumcision
Male circumcision includes the partial or complete removal of the prepuce. Annually, 13.3 million men are circumcised worldwide. [2] [4]

In rare cases a phimosis is responsible for a necessary removal of the prepuce but mostly this procedure is performed out of socio-cultural reasons. In Judaism, for example, the circumcision is a natural procedure performed on male newborns. Besides, in the US 55 per cent of all male newborns are circumcised. The reason for this procedure is mainly of hygienic nature but nowadays this position is no longer sustainable and has never really been proven by extensive studies. [2] [5]

The male prepuce, especially the frenulum, is a highly sensitive erogenous area. In earlier times, the prepuce was sometimes removed in order to prevent men from masturbating and reduce their sexual pleasure. Thus, the routine procedure performed on newborns, either out of "hygienic" or ritual reasons, is highly criticized because the human right of self-determination is being intruded. It is a loss which is irreversible. [2] [5] [6]

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) estimated in 2016 that 200 million women had undergone the procedures worldwide. [7]

Typically FGM is conducted from days after birth to puberty. In 29 Africa, as well as Arab countries it is part of a daily routine: Somalia (98 per cent of women and girls), Guinea (96 per cent), Djibouti (93 per cent), Egypt (91 per cent), Eritrea (89 per cent), Sierra Leone (88 per cent) and Sudan (88 per cent). The practice is also found in Yemen and Syria as well as in some Asian countries but exact data is missing. [3] [7] [8] [9]

Nigeria has officially forbidden female genital cutting nationally. [10] In 2008 it was officially declared a crime in Egypt. Within the EU, every kind of female genital cutting is a personal injury. However, women and girls are still being mutilated in Europe. According to a survey carried out in 2000, around eight thousand women in Austria are affected. In Germany, 35.715 women are affected and 5.965 are at risk. [11] [12]

Female genital cutting has neither religious nor medical reasons and it's not supported by the Bible or the Koran. It is estimated that the origin of the rite lies in Egypt at the time of the Pharaohs. Allegedly, the genitals were circumcised as an offering to the Gods. Today, this tradition exists in Muslim, Christian and Jewish denominations, because only a circumcised woman is considered "pure" and "virtuous". Besides, the procedure is regarded as a guarantee for abstinence and fidelity of an unmarried or a married woman. [12] [13]

The WHO has defined four types of female genital cutting: [3]

- Type 1: Removal of the clitoral hood with or without removal of the clitoral glans

- Type 2: Removal of the inner labia with or without removal of the clitoral glans

- Type 3: Complete removal of inner and outer labia, clitoral glans and clitoral hood, closure of the outer labia (infibulation)

- Type 4: Various additional ritual procedures such as pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterization. It includes introducing substances into the vagina to tighten it.

These procedures are often performed under bad hygienic conditions, without local anaesthesia and/or by practitioners without medical training. Such a traumatic experience, namely the violent mutilation of the most intimate part of the female body, causes pains, infections, scars, adhesions and pain while urinating and can harm women's lives forever. However, female genital cutting has the biggest effect on a woman's sexuality because the procedure prevents natural and exciting sexual experiences. Some women still succeed in enjoying a healthy sexuality with the help of their understanding partners. [3] [13]

Tradition
The tradition of female genital mutilation continues to exist in the 21st century. The suffering of women is often understood as natural part of their female existence. As it turns out, laws are not really useful to prevent the custom but daughter of educated and financially independent mothers are mutilated distinctly less. Thus, one way to prevent this violent mutilation of young girls is a better education and emancipation of mothers in order to decide autonomously on the well-being of their children and find the courage to break with established traditions. [12]

Further Links:
Desert Flower, Sherry Hormann, 2009 (Trailer)
Desert Flower, Waris Dirie, 1998 (Autobiography)