Generality
Infibulation is a form of female genital mutilation performed for mainly socio-cultural reasons. This practice aims at the almost complete closure of the vulvar ostium and is often accompanied by the excision of the clitoris; the suture that follows the mutilation leaves only open a hole, to allow the escape of urine and menstrual blood.
Support for the practice is in decline, but in some countries it is still widespread.
What is it about?
The term "infibulation" comes from the Latin "fibula"(pin) to indicate the function of the practice, that is the" closing "of the vaginal lumen. This mutilation of the female genitalia involves, in fact, the" removal of the labia minora and part of the labia majora, with or without the excision of the clitoris: After this action, cauterization and suturing of the vulva with string or the insertion of pins or thorns follows, which leaves only an opening of 1-2 cm to allow the escape of urine and menstrual blood. When finished, the victims' legs are often tied together and remain so for at least two to four weeks to help heal the wounds.
- Infibulation and other female genital mutilation are performed mainly on girls and young girls between 4 and 15 years of age. Traditionally, a woman with no medical training (such as a village elder, a midwife, a community spiritual guide etc.), who uses rudimentary tools, such as knives, scissors, pieces of glass or razor blades. Usually, the surgery is performed without anesthesia and antiseptic treatments. Complications of genital mutilation can include bleeding and infections (including tetanus).
Infibulation has the purpose of preserving and indicating the virginity of the girl to the future husband (as well as making her a sexual object unable to feel pleasure).
Traditionally, infibulated women are engraved by the groom before the consummation of the marriage. To allow sexual intercourse, in fact, it is necessary to resort to an operation of unstitching the vulva (or defibulation).
After each birth, the mothers are subjected to reinfibulation, in order to restore the condition of premarital purity.
Other genital mutilation
Female genital mutilation is a vast and complex phenomenon.
These procedures that intentionally modify or cause injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. Mutilations can be of various types and levels of severity, ranging from "incision" to partial or total removal of the external female genitalia. Among these, the most radical is infibulation.
The variants
The most frequently practiced types of female genital mutilation are:
- Type I (circumcision or infibulation as sunnah): circumcision and removal of the foreskin of the clitoris;
- Type II (excision or clitoridectomy al uasat): removal of the clitoris and partial or total cutting of the labia minora;
- Type III (pharaonic or Sudanese infibulation): clitoridectomy, complete excision of the labia minora and seaming of the labia majora, with almost complete closure of the vulvar ostium.
Depending on the ethnic community to which they belong, "other interventions" are also practiced on the female genitals, such as:
- Punctures, perforations, or incisions in the clitoris or labia minora
- Scarification of the vestibular mucosa;
- Introduction of salt or corrosive substances into the vagina to cause bleeding or shrinkage.
The definition of the WHO
The "World Health Organization (WHO) defines female genital mutilation as" all forms of partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other induced modifications to the female genital organs, carried out for cultural or other non-therapeutic reasons ".
Infibulation and other mutilations are recognized as a violation of the human rights of girls and women. In December 2012, the United Nations General Assembly voted unanimously to proceed with the elimination of female genital mutilation around the world. .
Where "is widespread
Infibulation is a widespread practice mainly among ethnic groups and sub-Saharan African groups, for which genital mutilation is part of the tradition. A decidedly smaller share is recorded, however, in predominantly Islamic countries in Asia (Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Israel).
According to the "UNICEF" reportFemale Genital Mutilation / Cutting: A statistical overview and exploration of the dynamics of change", published in 2013, it is estimated that more than 125 million women are subjected to genital mutilation; considering these statistics, about 30 million girls are still at risk of undergoing this practice in the next ten years.
Currently, there is a "high prevalence of female genital mutilation in 29 African countries and in the Middle East; in eight of these - Egypt, Somalia, Guinea, Djibouti, Eritrea, Mali, Sierra Leone and Sudan - almost all young girls and women aged 15-49 underwent infibulation.
The increase in migratory flows towards the Western world has made the phenomenon visible also in Europe. However, clitoridectomy is not totally foreign to Western countries: in the second half of the 19th century, in England and America, a school of thought maintained that this intervention was necessary to cure sexual aberrations and other non-conforming behaviors, such as nymphomania and hysteria.
Why is practiced
The reasons given to justify the practice of female genital mutilation are different:
- Socio-cultural: in some countries, female genital mutilation is performed as a ritual of passage, to mark the transition of adolescents to adulthood and their willingness to marry. Infibulation therefore represents a practice that defines " cultural identity of the ethnic group to which one belongs and allows the integration of young women into the community. In Somalia, for example, a woman who is not infibulated is considered impure, therefore she risks being estranged from society.
- Psychological and sexual: in populations where virginity is considered a prerequisite for marriage, infibulation is practiced to keep the woman's illegality intact. This practice also represents a tool to subjugate or reduce the sexual desire deriving from the stimulation of the clitoris and prevent the temptations to indulge in extra-marital intercourse. Genital mutilation would therefore favor a sort of control over female libido: the removal of the clitoris and labia minora - considered by some to be the equivalent of the male sexual organ in a woman's body - is often synonymous with chastity, docility and obedience According to other beliefs, the clitoris is considered a "dangerous organ", capable of causing impotence in men and killing newborns at birth.
- Religious and spiritual: in some communities, infibulation is linked to tribal anthropological cultures and is practiced as it would make women spiritually pure. Female genital mutilation is practiced predominantly by Muslims, but can also occur among Christians (especially among the Coptic Orthodox and Catholics), animists and Jews. It should be pointed out that there is no "unanimous opinion about the link between this practice and religion, although there is a tendency to attribute to infibulation a spiritual justification, foreseen by the sacred texts. For example, the "infibulation" and the excision of the clitoris are not mentioned in the Koran, while in Christianity the mutilation is forbidden, as it is considered a sin against the "sanctity of the body". In Africa, then, female genital mutilation was practiced in ancient Egypt (hence the name of "pharaonic infibulation"), therefore before the "advent of" Islam.
- Hygienic: in some cultures, uncut women are considered impure, therefore they are not allowed to handle food and water; there is a belief, in fact, that female genitals are dirty and unpleasant from an aesthetic point of view. The more or less radical removal of the external parts would make the woman more beautiful and clean.
- Gender factors: often, female genital mutilation is deemed necessary for a girl to be considered a complete woman; infibulation also underlines the divergence between the sexes in terms of future roles in marriage and in life. If mutilation is part of an initiation rite, therefore, it assumes the meaning of explicit teaching about the tasks that a woman must hire in his company. According to the WHO, these practices reflect a deep-seated inequality between the sexes and constitute a form of extreme discrimination against women.
Aftermath
Infibulation has no benefits for the health of the girls and young girls who suffer it. On the contrary, it represents an extremely traumatic act, not without serious consequences from a physical, psychological and sexual point of view.
The possible complications of infibulation depend on the severity of the mutilation, the way it was practiced, the hygienic conditions and the resistance opposed by the victim held by force.
