rve the good name of the community". They believed that by cutting the clitoris (a woman's sexual pleasure hub), feelings of sexual arousal would be reduced or terminated. In effect, these women would be much less likely to engage in pre-marital intercourse or adultery.

Here are some reasons that such communities have for advocating for FGM:

• Some believe that the clitoris is dangerous and must be removed for health reasons.

• Some believe that it is a poisonous orga

Female Genital Cutting or (Female Genital Mutilation) as some of us would have it, due to its crude nature, dates to the time of the pharaohs in Egypt and is perpetuated in a given community for a variety of reasons. It refers to amputation of any part of the female genitalia for cultural rather than medical reasons.

From the late 19th century until the 1950s, clitoridotomy and other more invasive procedures, including excision of the clitoris and infibulation were practiced in Western countries to control female sexuality. Doctors advocating or performing these procedures claimed that girls of all ages would otherwise engage in more masturbation and be "polluted" by the activity. Through the 1950s, some doctors continued to advocate clitoridotomy for hygienic reasons or to reduce masturbation. After one of such procedures, there was a reported case of a two-year-old girl who said that she was not masturbating as frequently as she had used to before the "cut".

Justification of the procedure on hygienic grounds, or to reduce masturbation, has since declined. The view that masturbation is a cause of mental and physical illness has dissipated since the mid-20th century.

In 1995, Hillary Rodham Clinton, then US fist lady, stated at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China that “it is a violation of human rights when young girls are brutalized by the painful and degrading practice of genital mutilation”.

By then, African communities that were (and some of them still are) proponents of FGM were being bombarded and lambasted on all fronts. This was in a bid to pressurize them to stop "dehumanizing", "demoralizing" and "debasing" women as they had done for ages.

As the clitoris holds a massive number of nerve endings, and generates feelings of sexual arousal when stimulated, therefore most communities set out to 'operate' on their women to "preserve the good name of the community". They believed that by cutting the clitoris (a woman's sexual pleasure hub), feelings of sexual arousal would be reduced or terminated. In effect, these women would be much less likely to engage in pre-marital intercourse or adultery.

Here are some reasons that such communities have for advocating for FGM:

• Some believe that the clitoris is dangerous and must be removed for health reasons.

• Some believe that it is a poisonous organ

pedia.org/wiki/Infibulation">infibulation were practiced in Western countries to control female sexuality. Doctors advocating or performing these procedures claimed that girls of all ages would otherwise engage in more masturbation and be "polluted" by the activity. Through the 1950s, some doctors continued to advocate clitoridotomy for hygienic reasons or to reduce masturbation. After one of such procedures, there was a reported case of a two-year-old girl who said that she was not masturbating as frequently as she had used to before the "cut".

Justification of the procedure on hygienic grounds, or to reduce masturbation, has since declined. The view that masturbation is a cause of mental and physical illness has dissipated since the mid-20th century.

In 1995, Hillary Rodham Clinton, then US fist lady, stated at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China that “it is a violation of human rights when young girls are brutalized by the painful and degrading practice of genital mutilation”.

By then, African communities that were (and some of them still are) proponents of FGM were being bombarded and lambasted on all fronts. This was in a bid to pressurize them to stop "dehumanizing", "demoralizing" and "debasing" women as they had done for ages.

As the clitoris holds a massive number of nerve endings, and generates feelings of sexual arousal when stimulated, therefore most communities set out to 'operate' on their women to "preserve the good name of the community". They believed that by cutting the clitoris (a woman's sexual pleasure hub), feelings of sexual arousal would be reduced or terminated. In effect, these women would be much less likely to engage in pre-marital intercourse or adultery.

Here are some reasons that such communities have for advocating for FGM:

• Some believe that the clitoris is dangerous and must be removed for health reasons.

• Some believe that it is a poisonous orga

turbating as frequently as she had used to before the "cut".

Justification of the procedure on hygienic grounds, or to reduce masturbation, has since declined. The view that masturbation is a cause of mental and physical illness has dissipated since the mid-20th century.

In 1995, Hillary Rodham Clinton, then US fist lady, stated at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China that “it is a violation of human rights when young girls are brutalized by the painful and degrading practice of genital mutilation”.

By then, African communities that were (and some of them still are) proponents of FGM were being bombarded and lambasted on all fronts. This was in a bid to pressurize them to stop "dehumanizing", "demoralizing" and "debasing" women as they had done for ages.

As the clitoris holds a massive number of nerve endings, and generates feelings of sexual arousal when stimulated, therefore most communities set out to 'operate' on their women to "preserve the good name of the community". They believed that by cutting the clitoris (a woman's sexual pleasure hub), feelings of sexual arousal would be reduced or terminated. In effect, these women would be much less likely to engage in pre-marital intercourse or adultery.

Here are some reasons that such communities have for advocating for FGM:

• Some believe that the clitoris is dangerous and must be removed for health reasons.

• Some believe that it is a poisonous orga

ding practice of genital mutilation”.

By then, African communities that were (and some of them still are) proponents of FGM were being bombarded and lambasted on all fronts. This was in a bid to pressurize them to stop "dehumanizing", "demoralizing" and "debasing" women as they had done for ages.

As the clitoris holds a massive number of nerve endings, and generates feelings of sexual arousal when stimulated, therefore most communities set out to 'operate' on their women to "preserve the good name of the community". They believed that by cutting the clitoris (a woman's sexual pleasure hub), feelings of sexual arousal would be reduced or terminated. In effect, these women would be much less likely to engage in pre-marital intercourse or adultery.

Here are some reasons that such communities have for advocating for FGM:

• Some believe that the clitoris is dangerous and must be removed for health reasons.

• Some believe that it is a poisonous orga

rve the good name of the community". They believed that by cutting the clitoris (a woman's sexual pleasure hub), feelings of sexual arousal would be reduced or terminated. In effect, these women would be much less likely to engage in pre-marital intercourse or adultery.

Here are some reasons that such communities have for advocating for FGM:

• Some believe that the clitoris is dangerous and must be removed for health reasons.

• Some believe that it is a poisonous organ that can cause a man to sicken or die if contacted by a man's sexual organ.

• Others believe that men can become impotent by contacting a clitoris.

• Others believe that a baby will be hydrocephalic (born with excess cranial fluid) if its head contacts the clitoris during birth.

• Some believe that the milk of the mother will become poisonous if her clitoris touches the baby during childbirth.

• Bad genital odours can only be eliminated by removing the clitoris and labia minora.

• FGM prevents vaginal cancer.

• An unmodified clitoris can lead to masturbation or lesbianism.

• FGM prevents nervousness from developing in girls and women.

• FGM prevents the face from turning yellow.

• FGM makes a woman's face more beautiful.

• If FGM is not done, older men may not be able to match their wives' sex drive and may be forced to resort to illegal stimulating drugs.

An intact clitoris generates sexual arousal in women which can cause neuroses (a disorder of the mind in which a person suffers from strong unreasonable fears and ideas about the outside world, troubled relations with other people, and often physical illness) if repressed. My friends, this practice should be fought by all people on all fronts. It is a degrading practice that should never be allowed to continue enjoying the "complacency" and "compromise" of some of our communities. We are the ones educate them.