Stella Obasanjo, the first lady of Nigeria and wife of former president Olusegun Obasanjo, proposed February 6, 2003 as the World Day of “Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation” at a conference organized by the Committee on “Influential African Traditional Practices on the Health of Women and Children”. The United Nations Human Rights Commission then approved this day as the “International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation”. After that, February 6, also known as 17 Bahman, was officially recognized by the United Nations as the World Day of “Combatting Female Genital Mutilation”.

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a term used for the practice of cutting off a part or all of a woman’s external genitalia. This practice is performed in some cultures on girls and women at young ages or even in adulthood. In some societies, this is an old traditional practice that is still defended by some women and men.

The United Nations has identified and introduced four types of sexual violence against women: (1).

Type 1: Total or Partial Clitoridectomy (Clitoridectomy).

Type 2: Removing the entire or partial clitoris and small labia (genitalia), with or without cutting the large labia of the vagina.

Type 3: Any narrowing of the vaginal canal by creating a covering hymen by cutting and changing the position of the small or large labia of the vagina, with or without cutting the clitoris.

Type 4: Any other dangerous action on women’s reproductive organs for non-medical purposes, such as piercing, needle insertion, cutting, etc.

Approximately two hundred million women in the world have been subjected to sexual mutilation under the guise of religious beliefs, traditions, and rituals. This act is a violation of women’s and children’s sexual rights and fundamental human rights, and it must be rejected and fought against in all its dimensions. The main philosophy behind female genital mutilation is to control women’s bodies, emotions, and sexual desires, which stems from the sense of ownership that men have over women’s bodies and is considered one of the forms of “honor” crimes.

Cutting female genitalia is done traditionally in some countries, mostly in African countries. The history of this heinous practice dates back to ancient Egypt. Nowadays, despite widespread awareness of its psychological, health, and life-threatening consequences, the criminal act of Female Genital Cutting is still performed secretly among African communities living in Europe and North America, despite being banned in European countries.

Some cultural anthropologists, who insist on respecting beliefs, traditions, and cultures, believe in the theory of cultural relativism and suggest titles such as “Traditional Women’s Surgery” instead of Female Genital Mutilation or Female Circumcision. This suggestion has been heavily criticized by many women’s rights activists and some researchers (2). The theory of cultural relativism has also been heavily criticized in other areas, such as the acceptance and endorsement of the hijab by women’s rights defenders.

Culture, beliefs, and traditions that for any reason violate the human rights of a group of individuals in any society, are not only unacceptable, but also clear examples of violence and violation of human rights that must be criticized and immediately taken action to change.

Among African countries, approximately 97.9% of women in Somalia have been victims of female genital mutilation, which is the highest rate. Uganda ranks at the bottom with six percent of women having undergone female genital mutilation.

One of the consequences of irreparable female genital mutilation is the irreversible return of it, which cannot be repaired by surgery. This procedure also leads to deprivation of sexual pleasure, painful sexual intercourse, urinary incontinence, frigidity, depression, painful periods, infections and scarring, infertility or very difficult childbirth due to tissue hardening. The even more tragic fact is that there are no statistics on the number of girls who die under the knife of this shameful tradition; but accounts indicate that as a result of this procedure, many girls lose their lives due to bleeding, shock, infection or tetanus.

Waris Dehri, author of the book.

Desert flower.

Sorry, there is no Farsi text provided. Please provide the text so I can translate it for you.

گل صحرا

Desert Flower.

The United Nations ambassador in the fight against female genital mutilation was subjected to inhumane circumcision at the age of five (3). She is one of the women who, due to pressures from the patriarchal culture of tribal communities and to escape forced marriage to a man who could have been her grandfather, fled at the age of thirteen and sought refuge in England. Varis Diri wrote a book to fight against the sexual mutilation of women.

Desert flower.

He wrote about it and described his condition and the effects of cutting off his reproductive organ.

He is in the book.

Desert flower.

My feelings express themselves as follows: “I have come to the realization that I must talk about my circumcision for two reasons; firstly, because it deeply bothers me. Aside from the physical difficulties that I still struggle with, I will never be able to enjoy sexual intimacy. I feel incomplete, disabled, and knowing that I cannot do anything to change my situation is the most disheartening feeling I have… Finally, I fell in love, but if you were to ask me today if I enjoy sexual relations, I would say no, not in the true sense. I only enjoy being physically close to him because I love him.”

The United Nations Population Fund estimates that by 2030, an additional two million girls will be at risk of female genital mutilation (FGM). While FGM is predominantly concentrated in 30 countries in Africa and the Middle East, it is a global issue and also occurs in some Asian and Latin American countries. FGM is also practiced among immigrant populations in Western Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand.

The United Nations Population Fund and UNICEF have launched a joint program for the elimination of female genital mutilation by 2022, in line with the global commitment to invest in ending this practice. Many countries are experiencing a “crisis within a crisis” due to the widespread prevalence of female genital mutilation. This is why the United Nations is calling on the global community to envision a world where girls and women have the ability to have a voice, make choices, and control their own lives.

The campaign to stop honor killings, along with the United Nations’ call for complete eradication of female genital mutilation by 2030, will strive to achieve this goal.

Notes:

1- Elimination of women’s incomplete repair.

Statement.

Between the intergovernmental organizations of the United Nations; published by the World Health Organization in 2008.

2- Maclennan, Ruth, Against Relativism: Cultural Diversity and the Search for Universal Ethics in Medicine, Oxford University Press (1st edition), 1999.

3- Dehri, Varis, and Miller, Caitlin, Desert Rose: The Incredible Journey of a Nomad, William Morrow Publishers (first edition), 1998.

4- February 6th: International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, ending female genital mutilation by 2030.

Website.

United Nations Organization