Few days ago I saw news about Female Circumcision (FC). It was shocking to know that it was happening in United States, and has been for quite some time. News was about infant girl whose parent refused to have her circumcised, but they were forced to by their custom and tradition. Parents were so worried they were willing to speak openly, and because they came out and spoke about it, they received help and were not victimized by their customs.
I had a chance to talk to two friends (Yasmeen, and Leila both from Africa), Yasmeen told me the Female circumcision is very common in some part of Africa and parents who refuse to have their daughter circumcised people refuse to associate with them and no one will marry their daughter or into their family. She said she is so thankful to her parents because they choose not to have her circumcised. She was also shocked to find out that there are people in U.S. who still perform FC. Lelia joined our conversation and told us that not only its tradition but people also perform FC in the name of religion. Most people are vulnerable when it comes to religion and, they think they have to follow this practice to be true followers of their religion.
Sad part is most people are aware of its medical consequences but still are abide by their customs and religion. Some common health effects are urinary infection, reproductive infection and infertility. FC is practiced throughout the world, mostly in Asia and Africa. There are several different organization working against it such as WHO (World Health organization). They have been very successful and are still working against it. I hope that people who are practicing FC realize its medical complication and all the pain associated with it and stop this violence against women.
