Hesperian Health Guides
Chapter 30: Female Genital Cutting
In some communities, a girl must be cut before she can become a wife and mother and, in some cases, to own property.
Throughout history, customs that harm womenâs health have been practiced in order to make women seem more attractive or likely to marry. For example, in some European communities, a woman was thought to be more beautiful if she had a very small waist. So starting as girls, women were forced to wear a band of stiff cloth called a âcorsetâ tied so tightly around the waist and hips it sometimes broke their ribs and often prevented healthy breathing and eating. Corsets made it difficult to do anything but sit still or walk slowly.
In parts of China, women with very tiny feet had higher status. Some young girls had their feet tightly bound and their foot bones broken to make them stay small. As women, they could only walk slowly and were often confined at home.
These customs have been stopped, but in some parts of the world, other customs continue. Female genital cutting is one of them. Originally practiced in some communities in Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, it now also happens throughout the world where people from these communities have migrated. Female genital cutting involves cutting part of the vulva. It is practiced for a variety of reasons, most of them based on culture and tradition. It has often been an occasion for celebration in the community.
Female genital cutting does not affect moral behavior or change someoneâs need for love and companionship. But it does interfere with body functions, and can harm a personâs relationship with their sexual partners. Female genital cutting also causes many health problems, and some of these can lead to lasting harm or death.