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What are the reasons for female genital mutilation?
The reasons for female genital mutilation are many and complex, but the most significant seems to be the belief that a girl who has not undergone the procedure will not be considered suitable for marriage.
The reasons given by families for having female genital mutilation performed include:
• sociological reasons: identification with the cultural heritage, initiation of girls into womanhood, social integration and the maintenance of social cohesion;
• hygiene and aesthetic reasons: the external female genitalia are considered dirty and unsightly and are to be removed to promote hygiene and provide aesthetic appeal;
• psychosexual reasons: maintain chastity and virginity before marriage and fidelity during marriage, reduction or elimination of the sensitive tissue of the outer genitalia, particularly the clitoris, in order to attenuate sexual desire in the female, and increase male sexual pleasure;
• myths: enhancement of fertility and promotion of child survival;
• religious reasons: some Muslim communities practise female genital mutilation in the belief that it is demanded by the Islamic faith. The practice, however, predates Islam. |
International framework against Female genital mutilation.
There are many international treaties and conventions that condemn these harmful practices. They include:
- the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989),
- the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (1979), - the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (1990).
A specific focus on female genital mutilation is found in the UN General Assembly Resolution 56/128 on Traditional or Customary Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Girls (2001) and in the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa, also known as Maputo Protocol (2003).
India has not adopted any specific act on the subject.
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