But these are the things we need to be able to talk openly, so that people are more aware of what is going on and can actually have informed opinions.
Female circumcision or as it is referred to as female genital mutilation (FGM) for those who do not know about the practice, when the external genitals of a young girl, mainly the clitoris or clitoris, have been completely cut off or picked for non- medical reasons.
In Pakistan, the communities Dawoodi Bohra and Sheedi are known to practice this
The reason given by those who believe in it is that it is done for purity. And that circumcision is ordained by religion for both men and Women.
People who are against the Practice, however, have stated that the reasons for carrying out this practice are much more sinister; to curb female sexuality. This is because the part of the genitals of a woman who is cut off is the same part that gives women a large part of their sexual pleasure. According to this school of thought, the practice was adopted, so that women do not deviate from their husbands and remain loyal.
Practice is widespread in African countries such as Somalia, Ethiopia and Egypt. And is also practiced in the Middle East and Asia. But according to sources, the practice originated in Africa and was brought to Pakistan when communities migrated and settled in the region.
We have contacted women from the Bohra community to tell us more about the practice and how their personal experiences were.
And the opinions and experiences were extremely polarized; some women defend the practice violently and are there while some women are unbelievable.
Some women have talked about how they doing it I can not even remember that the procedure took place and that it was done by trained medical professionals, and that the experience did not at all traumatize them and that they did not feel that anything was taken from them in the slightest time
The women in support of the practice talk about how the practice has a religious background and are only done for purity purposes, such as what is known as & # 39; tahara & # 39; in Muslims.
While at the other end of the spectrum there are Bohri women who completely avoid practicing and even refer to them as barbaric & # 39 ;.
I spoke to a woman who had gone through the procedure when she was 7 years old and told me that I would never forget the horrific experience.
I keep her identity private for her safety. She stated that the women who had performed the procedure had no "medical knowledge". and that they used scissors to carry out the procedure. She talked about how she was too young to understand what had happened and everything she understood was the physical pain she was in.
She said that the event traumatized her and still remembers how she felt to this day. And when she became the mother of three girls herself, she made sure that her daughters would never experience such a thing, even though her family was under pressure to have the procedure carried out. But because she believed that it was not the circumcision of women, but actually genital mutilation; she never went through it and even encouraged other women in her family to do the same.
Internationally, the practice has been strongly condemned, with the UN declaring the International Day for Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation on 9 February has the termination of FGM as one of their 2030 goals. This is because doctors worldwide have condemned the practice because they have no benefit and do not even affect the health of women.
But again, there are many women who follow the procedure and even some doctors who believe that it does not harm the patient and should not be a problem if it is performed.
At the moment there is no legislation dealing with this issue in Pakistan, so it is not illegal here in many African and Western countries.
Did you know about this practice? Let us know what you think in the comments.
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Cover photo source: fitnaphobia.com
The post I Asked Bohri Women About Their Practice Of Female Genital Cutting Or Female “Khatna” And Here’s What They Had To Say appeared first on News Doses.
