Traditions and ritual are important but to the extreme of mutilation? Female genital mutilation (FGM) is considered a rite of passage for young girls into becoming a woman and ready for early marriage. This practice is is widespread in Africa and other countries such as Pakistan, Phillippines, and Indonesia. It is estimated 130 million girls and women have undergone this mutilation. That is 2 million sirls every year and 6,000 girls are at risk every day.
This link describes what happens by a woman who has experienced this mutilation and is speaking out against it. The description is not easy to read. It is not easy to believe that in the 21st century this could have happened to 6,000 young girls today.
This mutilation is viewed by many as a ritual that leads to social acceptability. As the author stated the girls in her age group essentially bullied her into having the ritual completed. Despite the long term complications of chronic infections, severe pain with urination and childbirth, the ritual contues to be practiced.
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