Fgm Barbaric Practice

[emmie]

i read this piece the other day and wondered how on earth we ever got to the point where it exists at all. I am well aware it's been discussed before.
How can they stamp this out in one generation?


http://www.islingtongazette.co.uk/news/islington_leading_the_charge_on_eliminating_female_genital_mutilation_1_3315989

[emmie]

it does seem largely, though i am happy to be corrected on this, religious, cultural.

[emmie]

male circumcision that is.

[sp1814]

The medical reasons I knew of were that circumcised men are less likely to pass on STDs and the HIV virus (amongst heterosexuals).

But I've looked up some more 'pro' points, listed as:

8. Circumcision decreases the risk of urinary tract infection.
7. Circumcision reduces the risk of heterosexually acquired HIV infection in men.
6. Circumcision lowers the risk of STDs.
5. Circumcision protects against penile cancer.
4. Circumcision reduces the risk of penile HPV infection and the risk of cervical cancer in female partners
3. Circumcision prevents chlamydia infections and subsequent pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy and infertility.
2. Circumcision decreases the risk of balanoposthitis and phimosis and the later need for postneonatal circumcision.
1. Circumcision improves sexual function and creativity.

[emmie]

and i have found the same sort of list against, perhaps a medical practitioner can throw some light on this. Besides this isn't about boys, but the poor little girls, who don't have a choice.

[Sqad]

sp......I don' t know from where you got your list, but I disagree entirely with the comments re. infections.

There is no evidence to suggest that circumcision reduces the incidence of STD transmissions.

Of course one cannot get infections of the prepuce ( balanitis) if one has been circumcised just as one cannot get appendicitis if the appendix has been removed

Infections are not an issue
.
Cancer of the penis is a consideration and is red diced in circumcised individuals during childhood but not on the adult.

Penile cancer is extremely rare.....I have never seen a case in my lifetime.

[sp1814]

emmie

Boys don't have a choice either.

But to be honest, I really don't think we should bundle both male circumcision with FGM.

The fact that 'female circumcision' has been renamed to FGM, indicates how far removed it is from the legitimate practice of male circumcision...

[emmie]

i wasn't putting the two together, this is solely about FGM

[LazyGun]

Male circumcision should be regarded as a separate issue, but as a debating issue it seems to attract a lot of heat.

As far as your list goes, SP, some of the benefits listed there have some evidence to support them (transmission of HPV and HIV primarily), but the others are less well evidenced.

My only real concern about male circumcision is that it is done without the consent of the person it is being performed on, and often for religious or cultural reasons,with the health benefits thrown in as a kind of rationalisation.

Parental consent is required,sure, but personally I think circumcision should be left to the individual to decide, when they can make their own, informed choice.

[mushroom25]

//this isn't about boys, but the poor little girls, who don't have a choice. //

the choice their parents face is simply this: in a misogynistic male-dominated culture where the practice is widespread, they either subject their daughter to FGM, or doom her to be unmarried for life.

[emmie]

what man in all honestly would go and be circumcised as an adult,

[emmie]

no i don't believe that they would remain unmarried, however they will be pain free. I know which choice i would make. And any families that subject their daughters to this are guilty of physical abuse.

[LazyGun]

Well not me Emmie, but there are some benefits, and some think that circumcision is aesthetically more pleasing. Regardless, in my opinion whether you have a circumcision or not should be with your adult informed consent, rather than being performed on you as a child.

[emmie]

FGM is devastating for girls, women, its not remotely like the male version.

[emmie]

most men would baulk at someone coming at their manhood with a knife,

[RATTER15]

Nobody will be going near mine with a anything sharp, I need every single bit I got!!

Joking aside, no where near enough is being done to stop this mutilation of young girls, if they want it done as adults I have no problem, I don't see there being a long queue though!

I watched a documentary on this subject on TV just a few weeks ago, where about 4 men that would be expecting this procedure to have been carried out on their wives to be, were shown in detail what these girls go through and the results, one walked away in tears and the others were totally shocked by what they saw and from that point they were all totally against it!

education, education, education!!!!!

[emmie]

seems we are always having to educate people about practices that have no place in this or any country, barbaric.

[RATTER15]

I think this is the programme I watched. Media URL: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-cruel-cut/4od
Description:

[RATTER15]

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-cruel-cut/4od

[emmie]

i did see that, and the one about the day i will never forget, dreadful

from the link
Outlawed in the UK since 1985, female circumcision is still carried out on at least two million girls every year around the world.