Although estimates of the prevalence of FGM vary, sources have consistently found the practice to be undergone by the majority of women in the Horn of Africa, in the West African countries of Guinea, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Mauritania, Mali and Burkina Faso, as well as in Sudan and Egypt.
FGM in the Arab states region
FGM is widely prevalent in some Arab countries: In Yemen, 19% of women and girls aged 15-49 have been subjected to the practice, while in Egypt and Sudan the rates are as high as 87%, and even 94% in Djibouti and 98% in Somalia.
Eighty percent or more of the women undergoing FGM are from Egypt, Ethiopia, Mali, Sudan, Djibouti, and Guinea [11]. This shows that the practice is of high prevalence in Africa.
FGM is mostly carried out on young girls between infancy and age 15. FGM is a violation of the human rights of girls and women.
It is claimed that nearly “90 % of Bohra girls are forced to undergo female genital mutilation”. If 90 percent of girls in the community go through this, the ISJ believes that (as given the size of the community in Karachi) every year about 1000 girls undergo the practice of FGM.
Now, a new research study that surveyed 831 women in Abu Dhabi city has found an FGM prevalence rate of 41.4% amongst the study participants. The study found that the most common type of FGM performed in the UAE was Type 1 (partial or total removal of the clitoris and/or the clitoral hood).
Occurrence. FGM is practised by the Dawoodi Bohra, a sect of Shia Islam with one million members in India. Known as khatna, khafz, and khafd, the procedure is performed on six- or seven-year-old girls and involves the total or partial removal of the clitoral hood.
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a procedure where the female genitals are deliberately cut, injured or changed, but there's no medical reason for this to be done. It's also known as female circumcision or cutting, and by other terms, such as Sunna, gudniin, halalays, tahur, megrez and khitan, among others.
FGM has been practiced mainly in the western, eastern, and north-eastern regions of Africa and some countries in the Middle East and Asia. FGM is also found in western countries such as United Kingdom, United States and Canada.
Non-African countries that practise FGM include Yemen, Afghanistan, Kurdistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey, Thailand (South) and Pakistani.
framework of the ancient Egyptian empires, FGM was implemented as a means of perpetuating inequality between the classes, with families cutting young girls and women, signifying their commitment to the wealthy, polygamous men of their society.
Some researchers have traced the practice to Egypt in the fifth-century BC and argue that the geographical distribution of FGM suggests that it originated on the west coast of the Red Sea. Egyptian mummies show women infibulated and this is supported by a Greek papyrus in the British Museum dated 163 BC.
Most of the non-Saudi women with FGM were Sudanese, Somali, Eritrean, and Egyptian. FGM is prevalent in regions such as Jeddah and Hali, Al Qunfudhah Governorate, Saudi Arabia. FGM is considered illegal in most countries around the world.
Circumcision is a religious practice done for every Muslim male in Saudi Arabia. Trained medical practitioners should do it, and circumcision should not be done by non-medical personnel. Infant male Circumcision should be performed in the first four weeks of age, and all should have pain relief after the circumcision.
Approximately 18% of women surveyed at clinics in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, have undergone some form of female genital mutilation (FGM), according to a medical study recently published by the British Medical Journal.
Type III is the most severe type of FGM, known as infibulation, which involves the narrowing of the vaginal orifice with the creation of a seal that is formed by cutting and then stitching the labia minora and/or the labia majora with or without excision of the clitoris.
FGM is practised in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, the Philippines and Indonesia; however, none of these countries are supported by the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on the Abandonment of FGM.
On the other hand, some circumcised women report having satisfying sexual relations including sexual desire, pleasure and orgasm. Female genital mutilation does not eliminate sexual pleasure totally for every woman who undergoes the procedure, but it does reduce the likely of orgasm.
Circumcision charges varies quite a bit depending upon hospital and clinic and which doctor is performing the procedure. It can range anywhere from 1000 AED to 3000 AED.
Circumcision is a routine procedure for majority of the male children born in UAE. The procedure can be performed soon after birth and at any age thereafter.
At Penn Medicine, one of our renowned plastic surgeons pioneered reconstructive surgery that restores genital function and form after FGM/C. The procedure improves the appearance of patients' genitals, may increase sexual function and helps restore physical and emotional well-being.
For Muslims, male circumcision is performed for religious reasons, mainly to follow the sunnah (practice) of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Moreover, there are attempts to label it as a contributor to cleanliness / personal hygiene. These are done largely to grant the practice scientific legitimacy and a moral foundation.
Circumcision is not compulsory in Islam but it is an important ritual aimed at improving cleanliness. It is strongly encouraged but not enforced. The ritual dates back to the time of the Prophet Muhammad.
There is no exact established region where FGM's origin is dated back to, however, scholars have proposed Ancient Egypt and Sudan. Others claim it originated from Ancient Rome, stating that FGM was implemented on the female slaves to prevent pregnancy and sexual relations.