FGM HAS NO HEALTH BENEFITS BUT ONLY CAUSES HARM TO GIRLS AND WOMEN
FGM
By: Lawrence Jwaya
Female genital manipulation is the partial or total removal of the external female genital or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. It involves removing and damaging healthy and normal female genital tissue, and interferes with the natural functions of girls’ and women’s bodies. This includes all other harmful procedures to the female genitalia for non-medical purposes, e.g. pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterizing the genital area.
FGM has no health benefits, and it harms girls and women in many ways which may include: fever, wound healing problems, infections e.g., tetanus, genital tissue swelling, severe pain , excessive bleeding ,urinary problems, death ,injury to surrounding genital tissue and shock.
The reasons why FGM is performed vary from one region to another as well as over time, and include a mix of sociocultural factors within families and communities. FGM is mostly carried out on young girls between infancy and adolescence, and occasionally on adult women.
In 2008, the World Health Assembly passed resolution WHA61.16 on the elimination of FGM, emphasizing the need for concerted action in all sectors – health, education, finance, justice and women’s affairs. In 2019, President Kenyatta made the bold and important pledge to eliminate FGM in Kenya by 2022. The presence of a structured government response puts the country ahead of its neighbours in the fight against FGM.
In 2022, WHO are expected to launch a training manual on person-centered communication (PCC), a counselling approach that encourages health care providers to challenge their FGM-related attitudes and build their communication skills to effectively provide FGM prevention counselling.
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