Other Views of The Issue
Although there are those
who defend women’s’ rights, there are also people who defend the act of female
genital mutilation itself.
Defenders of
FGM argue it has lasted thousands of years before even Islam and Christianity
were established. The tradition orgin of FGM is so unknown that part of the
campaign by medical people is to raise awareness of its evil. The major aim of
FGM is to reduce sensitivity and make women less sexually excited so that they
remain faithful to their spouses. Women campaigners interpret this as male
control –although some of the staunchest supporters of the habit are women
themselves. A Sierra leone lady defended the tradition as making a woman “pure
and more hygienic.” Despite the grave risks FGM may cause, its practitioners
look on it as an integral part of their cultural and ethnic identity, and some
perceive it as a religious obligation.
Opponents of female genital cutting, continue to stress that the practice is very harmful and risky to women's health and well-being. Some consider female circumcision a ritualized form of child abuse and violence against women, a violation of human rights. In my own view, female circumcision should be abolished. To start with, it causes a lot of pain to the initiates. Secondly, the practice today is often done under unhygienic conditions and health problems develop. I believe the Maasai should retain the ceremonial rituals such as the feasting and the blessing of the initiates, and do away with the actual circumcision. Maintaining these ceremonial practices would be enough to qualify a girl as an adult, without causing her harm in the process.
Some women, now older,would argue that they never
want to see anyone to go through the pain they had to when they were
younger. However, some people say
they are happy it happened. A now
medical expert, would say that” I plan to use my medical career to teach
people the effects of female circumcision from the medical point of view. I
think my community would respond better to a Maasai daughter than to a
foreigner. I was circumcised when I was younger, before I understood the
dangers. But I am glad that FGM was performed on me, because now I can talk from
experience when I campaign against it.”