Duke Medical Ethics Journal

The practice of FGM on women goes back to traditions and cultures formed hundreds of years ago. While the reason varies in each community, a common reason for FGM procedures is that it represents a rite of passage for womanhood. Communities see this as an integral part to become a woman and consider uncircumcised girls unclean, promiscuous and immature until they undergo a procedure. This has led some women to be pressured to receive a FGM procedure to be accepted by the community. 

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The procedure is usually carried out by a woman in the community. This woman might be a family member or someone whose occupation is to assist in childbirth. They are not medical professionals and do not have the resources that a hospital might have, including sterile cutting devices, antibiotics, or anesthetics. After the procedure is completed, there are celebrations across the community as a girl has become a woman.

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In the eyes of many Western countries, it is hard to imagine such a practice like FGM. However, many women in these communities do not share such feelings. An interview with a woman in the Maasai community spoke  about how she wanted to get the procedure and would want it for her child as well. Other women in the  community had shared thoughts with the woman in the interview showing that many women in communities don’t see FGM as the same way that Western countries see the procedures. They see the procedure as a step that a girl must take to become a woman. 

There is a clear culture clash between these communities and western cultures. One culture sees a practice as a beautiful ritual that girls are eager to receive. A girl in a community in Kenya said, “I want to be circumcised… I am looking forward to becoming a woman.” On the other hand, it is seen as a violation of human rights. Joseph Osuigwe, ​​founder of Devatop Centre for Africa Development, says, “To cut off the sensitive sexual organ of a girl is directly against the honesty of nature, a distortion to her womanhood, and an abuse of her fundamental human right”. When finding the best solution for this dilemma, it is important for people from different backgrounds to respect different cultures. The difficult aspect is how much value culture should have in affecting decisions such as the continuation of FGM. I believe there can be a path forward where we can work with these communities to help these women thrive in their culture while also protecting them from the harms and dangers of these practices. It is a difficult path to find a solution that protects the fundamental rights of these women while respecting the deep cultures of the communities practicing FGM. We must keep having these discussions and compromise to build a better world.