The Briefing Room

General Category => World News => Topic started by: flowers on March 03, 2014, 08:37:09 pm

Title: How children in Somalia are brainwashed into believing female genital mutilation is acceptable (but even they draw the line at sewing up girls' vaginas)
Post by: flowers on March 03, 2014, 08:37:09 pm
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2571865/How-children-Somalia-brainwashed-believing-female-genital-mutilation-acceptable-girls-call-stitching-cutting-tradition.html

Quote
Female genital mutilation comes in many different forms. The other form known by the Somali teens is sewing the vagina shut until marriage. Everyone agreed that this should be ended.

'I want it to be eradicated. It's an old tradition,' said Ikram Ismail, a confident 18-year-old in a pink headscarf and a black hijab.

'When my mother was young no one could speak about it publicly, but now people understand that it causes a lot of harm so that's why we talk about it.'

Female genital mutilation can cause severe bleeding and problems with urination, cysts, infections, infertility and complications with childbirth, including an increased risk of newborn death. More than 125 million girls and women alive today have been cut in 29 African and Middle Eastern countries, the World Health Organization says.

In Somalia, the cultural expectation for girls to undergo genital mutilation comes down to sex and marriage. Men expect to marry a virgin.
Title: Re: How children in Somalia are brainwashed into believing female genital mutilation is acceptable (but even they draw the line at sewing up girls' vaginas)
Post by: Millee on March 03, 2014, 08:42:37 pm
I hope this barbaric procedure is outlawed.  I just finished reading "Tears of the Desert" where the author, Halima Bashir, speaks about her experience having it done and was excruciating to read.   **nononono*
Title: Re: How children in Somalia are brainwashed into believing female genital mutilation is acceptable (but even they draw the line at sewing up girls' vaginas)
Post by: Chieftain on March 03, 2014, 09:12:13 pm
The real War on Women...

Title: Re: How children in Somalia are brainwashed into believing female genital mutilation is acceptable (but even they draw the line at sewing up girls' vaginas)
Post by: Millee on March 03, 2014, 09:51:08 pm
Quote from: Chieftain on March 03, 2014, 09:12:13 pm
The real War on Women...
Truth!
Title: Re: How children in Somalia are brainwashed into believing female genital mutilation is acceptable (but even they draw the line at sewing up girls' vaginas)
Post by: musiclady on March 03, 2014, 11:08:03 pm
Quote from: Chieftain on March 03, 2014, 09:12:13 pm
The real War on Women...

Indeed!