Female Gender Mutilation in the United States
One of the prevalent forms of human rights abuse is violence against women and girls. These form of rights violation doesn’t have economic, social, or national margins as several women worldwide experience either physical or sexual abuse in their lifetimes. Violence based on gender is rampant nowadays as it can be carried out in online spaces. In our societies, individuals experience inequalities due to social class, religion, race, gender, or age. In cases of women, they can face violence as well as these different forms of discrimination or inequalities. Violence against women and girls is enacted under various manifestations due to its widespread forms. These include sexual exploitation and trafficking, non-partner sexual abuse, abuse between intimate partners and harmful practices such as early and forced marriages, female genital mutilation, or cutting, among others. Contrary to people’s perception in the United States, female genital mutilation (FGM) is widespread in the country. More than 500,000 women and girls in the country are estimated to have undergone FGM or at risk. This problem- solving paper will analyze the history of FGM in the United States, its impacts on society and individuals, and the preventions that can be implemented.
Female genital mutilation or cutting (FGM/C) is a harmful practice that involves the removal of a part or all-female genitalia of girls and women for cultural, religious, or non-medical reasons. It is an old tradition that is still practiced around the world, but it has been gaining recognition in the United States as a significant issue in public health. With the global migration patterns, women and girls affected by FGM/C have led to an increase in these practices in host communities where the methods are illegal and culturally unacceptable, including the United States. According to Goldberg et al. (2016), most of these immigrants have been able to sustain the practice in the country by having their daughters cut locally or by taking them to their countries of origin for FGM.
In the United States, since 1996, it has been regarded as a federal crime after Congress passed an act that is against FGM/C on girls under 18 years of age. In 2013, another law was passed, the Transport of Female Genital Mutilation Act, which prohibited the knowing transport of children from the USA for FGM/C, commonly known as ‘vacation cutting.’ A study conducted states that about 168,000 girls and women living in the USA in the 1990s had undergone FGM/C or were at risk. This data was from the 1990 census, but it also failed to give actual figures on women and girls who had undergone. In 2004, 227,887 women and girls had experienced FGM/C or were at risk. The second study conducted using the 2000 US Census found an increase of the harmful practices. This increase was attributed to women and girls born in countries that practiced this tradition. The most recent studies carried out were in 2012, and about 513 000 women and girls in the country are at risk of facing FGM/C. The highest number is girls under the age of 18, who constitute about one third. These women and girls who mostly suffer from these violent practices are immigrants from Somalia, Guinea, Egypt, and Eritrea. There are also immigrant girls and women from Ethiopia and Gambia who are subjected to these practices (Goldberg et al., 2016).
Despite there being a high number of girls under the age of 18 years facing the risk or the consequences of these brutal acts, justice has not been administered accordingly. The only recent federal case, US v Nagarwala (2018), a licensed Doctor was charged with mutilating nine girls of 7-13 years of age in Detroit. However, in the subsequent case in November 2018, six of the eight charges were dismissed by a District Court judge stating that the law was unconstitutional as Congress had no right to criminalize the practice under the Necessary and Proper Clause. Since then, the Department of Justice withdrew an appeal indicating that the law needs to be changed because there is a constitutionality problem between the Supreme Court precedent and the federal FGM law (Boswell, 2019). Despite the judge viewing the practice as only a form of physical assault that does not have issues with the health service of individuals, the method has no health benefits.
Female genital mutilation/cutting can lead to different physical and health problems, and also cause financial burdens to countries. According to the World Health Organization (2020), FGM/C occurs in 4 significant ways. The first type is the removal of clitoral glans partially or totally. Second is the removal of clitoral glans partially or totally and the labia minora. The third type is the formation of a covering seal to narrow the vaginal opening. The fourth type is the harmful procedures that are practiced, such as scraping, pricking, etc. this all forms of human rights violation interferes with normal function and health risks that one suffers increases with the increase in severity.
The immediate health complications that one suffers include; excessive bleeding, swelling of the genital tissue, extreme pain, and fever. Other immediate difficulties that one can experience are like wound failing to heal, urinary problems, or contact infections such as tetanus. One can also die to severe pain that is associated with the process. The long term complications include psychological and physical problems. The practice can lead to one suffering from depression, anxiety issues, and low self-esteem. For some, these conditions persist, leading to post-traumatic stress disorder. Long term physical and health complications also include urinary problems. Individuals can suffer from urinary tract infections and painful urination. There are also vaginal problems such as bacterial vaginosis, itching, and discharge. The menstrual problems associated with the practice include painful menstruations, difficulties in passing menstrual blood, etc. (WHO, 2020).
Furthermore, women and girls suffer from sexual problems and increased risks of complications when giving birth. The sexual issues that most women and girls endure are decreased satisfaction and pain during intercourse. When giving birth, complications that are likely to occur are difficulty in delivering and excessive bleeding, which can lead to the death of newborns. Others also may need later surgeries for the bodies to function in normal conditions. These practices also have got negative impacts on society as girls who do not undergo the practice are likely to be rejected. Others are also likely to face early marriage, and thus destroying their future. Also, there are financial difficulties that society endures when treating complications associated with the practices (WHO, 2020).
With the health problems that women and girls are likely to suffer in the United States, implementation of prevention practices and policies is inevitable. Despite FGM/C practices and ‘vacation cutting’ being illegal, only one case has been reported. One of the ways of solving this issue is to increase advocacy policies and criminalize these practices and procedures. The constitutional problem that exists between the federal court and the Supreme Court has to be solved. There has to be a strictly universal law that prevents even the cultural norms and beliefs from being a form of legal defense for someone to be prosecuted. Law enforcement agencies have to develop publications and policies that protect and support girls who are against the practices of those who are likely to suffer. The transportation and ‘vacation cutting’ for FGM/C purposes also has to be considered an offense. Severe measures and regulations will also be applied.
The increase in FGM/C practice in the country is caused by various factors such as global migration patterns as immigrants settle and continue with their traditions. When they arrive in the country, immigrants have to be educated on the FGM/C, the different problems associated with the practice. For those who have already undergone the practice, they are to be provided with medical care and counseling. They also have to be educated on the importance of ending the practice, and prevention policies and acts have to be communicated.
Developing special education and outreach efforts to address the challenges and build evidence is also vital in eliminating FGM/C in the country. Generating knowledge-based evidence on the problem associated with FGM/C will be valuable in educating the public. This will show different ways on how to abstain from the practice and support those who have experienced FGM/C. However, the challenge to address these issue is affected by a lack of accurate data of who have undergone or at risk. The statistics provided by different scholarly articles are estimated with the last one from 2012, stating about 513,000 had already been affected or at risk. According to Atkinson et al. (2019), this estimate is imprecise, and thus educating medical practitioners on accurate identification will be necessary for evidence-based prevention. These will also help in the formulation of effective strategies.
In conclusion, female genital mutilation/ cutting is becoming vital health and social issue in the United States as the global migration pattern changes. There has been an increase in the number of women and girls facing FGM/C in the country compared to the last two decades. Immigrant communities mainly practice these old-age traditions, and according to the estimated 2013 statistics, it is prevalent among the Somali, Guinea, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Eritrea communities. The majority are young girls under the age of 18 years, and thus they face different immediate or long term health and physical problems. The implementation of various policies will be vital in the eradication of these practices. Educating immigrants upon arrival and also developing special education and outreach efforts will be essential. Moreover, increasing advocacy and taking judicial actions will be vital too. However, with the lack of actual count on the number of girls and women already affected or at risk, establishing evidence-based interventions is challenging.
References
Atkinson, H. G., Ottenheimer, D., & Mishori, R. (2019). Public Health Research Priorities to Address Female Genital Mutilation or Cutting in the United States. American journal of public health, 109(11), 1523-1527.
Boswell, J. (2019). Female Genital Mutilation in the United States: The Tension Between Feminism and Multiculturalism and its Effect on Eradication Efforts. Available at SSRN 3454762.
Female genital mutilation. (2020, February 3). World Health Organization. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/female-genital-mutilation
Goldberg, H., Stupp, P., Okoroh, E., Besera, G., Goodman, D., & Danel, I. (2016). Female genital mutilation/cutting in the United States: updated estimates of women and girls at risk, 2012. Public Health Reports, 131(2), 340-347.