Female Genital Mutilations practises
Many cultural reasons make the parents living in abroad to force their children to undergo the Female Genital Mutilations practises (FGM). The main reason for FGM is that in some communities, it is a rite of passage and girls that are circumcised have a higher chance of getting married as opposed to those that don’t. They also believe that FGM helps in maintaining the girl’s virginity as it prevents her from engaging in sexual activities before she gets married. In other communities, it is believed that a girl or woman ought to be flat, rigid and dry as it’s deemed to be more hygienic.
Religions also plays a role towards FGM. As some Christian and Muslim groups believe that the cut is related to their religious teachings. While Islam or Christianity does not support the FGC, the action is rationalized by the usage of supposed biblical rules like the mentioning of ‘Sunnah’. One of the myths about FGM is that, it makes people believe that cutting will improve the fertility of a woman and promote the survival of children. There is another misconception that cutting a girl would cure or and help them avoid contracting Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Besides, it’s believed that FGM prevents women and girls from engaging in sex before married and it increases the man’s pleasure.
In some of the communities that practice FGM, it is believed that the survival of a firstborn child is highly dependent of a woman being circumcised. The baby will not survive when the mother isn’t circumcised as its believed is not linked to the ancestors. This is done through circumcision as the blood is used to link the woman to the ancestors who in return blesses the baby. There are also misconceptions that if it is not removed, a clitoris begins to develop until it reaches the surface. Others believe that an uncut woman is too sexual and may end up cheating if her husband isn’t there.