A young girl in Egypt is told it's a special day. She is told the day is for her, and for her alone. She is dressed in a party dress. She is excited and hopeful as to what the day will bring. What the day will bring, will be the end of her genitalia as how she was born. It will be the end of this little girl ever experiencing any sexual pleasure. She will be one of an estimated 3.3 million girls that are the victims of female genitalia mutilation (FGM) each year. She will under go one of the most horrific procedures that ever could possibly be performed on a woman. For this young girl, she will have her procedure in the comfort of her own home with her mother and father watching. The doctor is not a doctor at all. He is known as the "Genital Barber". Just prior to the procedure, the young girl's smile will turn to a frown. Her giggles will turn to tears. She will be propped up on a table. Her legs will be placed up in the air, and spread apart. The "Barber" will then take an un-sanitized knife and cut the little girl's clitoris. No anesthetic is given to ease the excruciating pain the child is forced to endure. The child will scream a blood curdling scream and sobbing will follow. She will then quite possibly have her labia lips sewn shut and she is given cotton to place in her panties. The child is clueless as to why this day that was to be so special has gone so terribly wrong. The parents feel no compassion as they watch. They are smiling. They are gleeful. They have fulfilled their barbaric religious or cultural custom. They have taken away their daughter's libido until the end of time.
While many Americans know nothing of female genitalia mutilation, others know of it, but believe it to be something that happens in other parts of the world. Female genitalia mutilation, the altering and or cutting of the female genitals is largely prominent in the Islamic community. An alarming 98% of all Somali girls and 87% of all Egyptian girls have been forced to endure the barbaric, unsanitary, deplorable procedure. Tragically, with the influx of Muslims, female genitalia mutilation is now occurring right here in the United States. Consequently, Minnesota has the largest Somali immigrant population in the U.S. Just last week, the FBI arrested Dr. Jumana Nagarwala for performing female genitalia mutilation on girls ages 6-8 at her Livonia, Michigan office. The FBI investigation revealed that Nagarwala had performed FGM as far back as 2005.
The victims who were responsible for the arrest of Dr. Nagarwala told authorities they were going on a special girls trip when they instead went on a trip to see the doctor in Detroit, Michigan. The women described the procedure as it feeling as though they were getting shot. They were told the procedure was to get the germs out. They wrongly were led to believe the procedure was for their own good. It was instead one of the most heinous crimes one could ever imagine. Shockingly, Dr. Nagarwala will face charges of only 5 years imprisonment for each count of FGM.
FGM is a topic unknown to most. It is a topic of which most would rather not have any knowledge. It is an almost forbidden conversation. It is a virtual silent atrocity. It is an atrocity that has tripled here in the U.S. in 25 years on girls and women ages 14-49. While FGM is prohibited in many states, it is surprisingly only a crime in 26 states. The states of CA,TX, NY, NJ, MD, and VA. are most at risk. The cities most highly impacted with the most women impacted by FGM are New York City and Washington D.C.. Minneapolis came is third with its high Somali population. A shocking estimated number of 513,000 girls and women are victims of FGM here in the United States, up from 167,000 in 1997.
No girl, teenager, or woman should ever be a victim of female genitalia mutilation. There is no valid reason for such a horrible procedure to ever be performed. The procedure is a sick barbaric custom and nothing more. There are no health benefits whatsoever from the procedure. In fact, the procedure has been proven to cause health problems. Immediately following the procedure, many girls and women go into shock, have intensive bleeding, experience bacterial infections and damage to the surrounding tissue. Thereafter, girls and women are prone to recurrent bladder and urinary tract infections, cysts, infertility, as well as complications during intercourse and childbirth. Severe psychological trauma is also many times experienced by victims of FGM.
Female genitalia mutilation must come to an end, and the only way to stop it is to bring awareness. Only by bringing awareness to female genitalia mutilation can we bring an end to such an atrocity. While unpleasant, FGM must be an issue that we as Americans bring to the forefront. FGM is an issue that seems lost in the mountain of issues and concerns brought to Washington. It's up to the people to make FGM an issue in Washington. Washington Congresswoman Elizabeth Scott has been one woman that has brought the issue of FGM to the forefront. In 2015 it was Congresswoman Scott who introduced the Female Genitalia Mutilation Bill. While the Congresswoman is to be applauded, she can not do it alone. It's up to people like us to spread the word so that no small girl, teenager, nor woman is ever subjected to such a horrific atrocity ever again. Together we can be the voice and make a difference in the fight against FGM!
(c)Sean Bianca GOP GIRL 2017
#FGM #endfemalegenitaliamutilation
For more information and to donate:
http://www.theahafoundation.org/female-genital-mutilation/
No comments:
Post a Comment