Somali Traditions
Khat Tradition	The Somali Nomads House	Female Genital Mutilation

  Female Genital Mutilation  

1. The rationale behind this tradition:

1. "To ensure the purity and virginity of girls before marriage and the fidelity of wives."

   In reality, there are some excised girls that are neither pure nor virgins; and female genital mutilation is not a guarantee of fidelity in a wife.

2. "To have children."

   Women are confined to their role as procreators. In reality, female genital mutilation does not increase fertility. Instead, it can lead to infertility, make childbirth more difficult, and cause the death of both the baby and the mother.

3. "To obey the precepts of religion."

   In reality, no religion encourages female genital mutilation. You will not find it written anywhere in the Quran.

2. A condamnable practice:

• It is a persistent tradition that can be deadly.
• It is mutilation: partially or completely cutting the external genital organs of women.
• It is an assault on the integrity and dignity of women.
• It is a means of oppressing women in society, under the pretext of respecting CUSTOMS and TRADITIONS.

In reality, customs and traditions that endanger the lives and integrity of individuals are inhumane and unnatural. They must disappear.

3. Medical reality - Consequences on the child's health:

Immediate complications include intense pain, haemorrhagic shock, tetanus, infections (often widespread), urinary retention, wounds in the genital and surrounding organs. Haemorrhages and infections can be fatal. There is also concern about the risk of HIV transmission due to the successive use of the same instrument. It can happen that during this practice, the exciser touches the urethral meatus. In this case, the muscle no longer functions, and urine flows freely on the child, preventing any activity as they spend their time washing themselves and their clothes. Late complications are numerous and have repercussions on the girl's future obstetric life. These include cysts and abscesses, poor wound healing. If the vaginal cavity was affected during the operation, it loses its elasticity. Thus, if the woman becomes pregnant, there may be injuries to the urinary tract and/or communication with the bladder, vagina, and often the rectum (due to perineal tearing), resulting in the death of the mother. Other consequences include pain during sexual intercourse, lower abdominal pain during menstruation, recurring infections, and ectopic pregnancies.

4. In summary:

Female genital mutilation leads to serious health problems for the girl:

• Fear, pain, psychological shock;
• Muscle tears;
• Haemorrhage;
• Infections leading to infertility;
• Urinary problems and irreversible damage;
• Risk of hepatitis B and HIV/AIDS transmission.

And many more future sufferings for women:

• DIFFICULT CHILDBIRTH;
• Anxiety and, sometimes, refusal of sexual relations due to accompanying pain;
• Significant decrease in sexual sensitivity and dissatisfaction in marital relationships.