Female Circumcision and Cultural Relativism

Introduction

Female circumcision refers to the traditional rituals that involve cutting or removing the external female genitalia. It is a procedure performed on young girls who have attained puberty to alter their genitalia for no medical reasons. WHO considers the practice to be of no health benefits but rather causes severe health problems for the victims. Cultural relativism argues that people should not judge the standards of other cultures based on what is right or wrong, normal or strange (Johnson-Agbakwu & Manin, 2021). In my view, I stand against female genital mutilation practices and call upon governments and human rights movements to hardly fight against such harmful and old versioned rituals exposing young women to health hazards.

Female Circumcision and Cultural Relativism

Our moral beliefs largely dictate the culture or the environment we grew up in. For example, if our cultural heritage is Somalia, we believe it is morally acceptable to be under female circumcision since their cultural norms treat it as a rite of passage (Arabahmadi, 2020). In contrast, if our cultural heritage is western world, female circumcision would be taboo to us. Therefore, the relativist’s argument on cultural relativism occurs because if it exists, it will morally and naturally be relative. In this case, cultural relativists argue that cultural relativism promotes cultural tolerance (Lane & Rubinstein, 2017).

Women circumcision is a very common cultural practice in African countries, with anthropologists arguing that men in Africa even force women to undergo female genital mutilation. The surveys show that older women in those countries believe in women’s circumcision as a rite of passage, thus pressuring the young generation to undergo the procedure (Arabahmadi, 2020). Although religions have been at the forefront of fighting against female genital mutilation, the move has been condemned by Middle Eastern and Africans, claiming it’s their cultural tradition, and religion has no right to fight against their cultural rituals. In these regions, most traditional ceremonies start with cultural rituals, including female genital mutilation (Johnson-Agbakwu & Manin, 2021). In this case, the authorized and experienced community members, or older women, slice off the labia and clitoris for all women at puberty.

FGM is considered an old ritual that promotes injustice among girls, especially in those regions practicing FGM as a tradition. FGM procedure has multiple health concerns for the victims and discrimination and oppression within the societies. First, the FGM procedure is done by local older women or other community members as opposed to medical practitioners, who have little or no knowledge about human health hence exposing girls to health concerns, damage to genitalia, or even death (Lane & Rubinstein, 2017). Secondly, the FGM procedure may lead to pelvic infections and pain during sex or menstruation. As a result, the procedure is deemed illegal due to these health issues. Thirdly, the FGM procedure may cause severe psychological trauma to girls and other victims. A survey shows that girls undergo post-traumatic stress, depression, and anxiety after undergoing FGM rituals (Arabahmadi, 2020).

The opposers argue that FGM does not have any health benefits but rather health hazards which is the opposite of what FGM practitioners believe. FGM violates women’s rights, and United Nations has made significant steps to ban it from societies owing to the threats and harms the rituals pose to women (Lane & Rubinstein, 2017). In my view, forcing girls to undergo FGM rituals violates their rights and brings about complex health problems. As a result, an urgent solution is required to curb these horrible traditions causing health concerns for women.

Many people reflect on the side effects of FGM on girls and hope to one day educate others on the dangers of such a traditional ritual. Those practicing FGM rituals still argue that it does not diminish sexual desire and does not result in negative outcomes or pain during sexual intercourse or normal childbirth (Arabahmadi, 2020). The vocal dissenters in regions practicing FGM rituals argue that it not only impacts physical, mental, and health well-being but degrades women’s values in society. Many opposers believe FGM rituals could lead to harsh and cruel relationships within such cultures (Johnson-Agbakwu & Manin, 2021).

Conclusion

Female genital mutilation is an old practice directed at little girls who have not attained the age of consent. The procedure is harmful, and it is among the shocking cultural rituals witnessed in today’s world. Survey shows that FGM rituals are more common in African and Middle East countries, which believe that girls’ circumcision maintains their virginity and purity for their future husbands. Most of these countries fail to accept that their traditions are wrong and lethal. While few communities are still bound to FGM rituals, most have realized the dangers and dropped them. The opponents have used various tools to protest against FGM by terming it inappropriate. Therefore, FGM practices should be abolished as it violates women’s rights. Owing to its multiple physical and mental health concerns, I stand against female genital mutilation practices and call upon governments and human rights movements to hardly fight against such harmful and old versioned rituals exposing young women to health hazards.

References

Arabahmadi, A. (2020). Combating female genital mutilation in Northeast (Horn) Africa and its challenges. African Health Sciences, 20(4), 1955-67.

Johnson-Agbakwu, C. E., & Manin, E. (2021). Sculptors of African women’s bodies: forces reshaping the embodiment of female genital cutting in the West. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 50(5), 1949-1957.

Lane, S. D., & Rubinstein, R. A. (2017). Judging the other: Responding to traditional female genital surgeries. Ethics and Medical Decision-Making, 541-550.