Female Genital Cut (FGC) as a Sexual Health Issue: Challenges and Awareness

SEXUAL HEALTH
1

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
Background..................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................5

INTRODUCTION
Sexual health is personal, relational, cultural, physical and emotional aspects that is most
important part of the health. It is the wellbeing state related to the sexuality across the life span
(Burke, Nic Gabhainn and Kelly, 2018). Sexual health issues cover the gender identity, sexual
expression etc which also consists of the negative consequences which are infections with HIV
(human immunodeficiency virus) and other adverse outcome as infertility and cancer. Sexual
health promotion is essential as with its education people can easily gain the ability to authorise
and enhance their sexual health. As it leads to increase the emotion and sexual wellbeing which
is important for the people to eliminate the risks of transmitted sexual diseases. This essay will
highlight the issue of female gentile cut (FGC) as the main focus of the essay along with its
awareness. It also covers the reason for selecting FGC as main issue and its challenges. This
essay will also focus on discussing the in depth about the issue and its description regarding
international perspective and also covers the current issues in sexual health regarding its
promotion and public health and impact of culture on sexual health. Further it will cover the
legal and ethical responses and their impacts over the sexual health.
MAIN BODY
Background
According to the WHO sexual health is the condition of emotional, social wellbeing, as it
involves the sense of personal attractiveness, competences and also prevention from any sexual
dysfunction and other sexual coercion causes. As sexuality is the integral part of the healthy life
for the lifelong development process such as emotional, social development. Sexuality education
such as access to the clinical care, positive social aspect and other equity is important for the
person to be informed about it as it lead them to make the right choices for the healthy
relationship throughout their life (Kahn, N.F. and Halpern, 2018). Therefore, it is important to
promote the concern about the sexual health as it will guide the people to prevent from unwanted
diseases which are HIV, STDs, cancer. As FGC is considering as the global health issue, it refers
as the complete removal of the external women genitalia also understood as the injuries to the
genital organs of the females. This process is performed on women for injuring their genitalia
without any medical concern, this cause is often connected to the cultural aspect as some thinks
its legal but in actual it is the crime against the women. WHO has stated that this FGC has no
such health advantages it often leads to the immediate medical risk and also gives the long term
3

problems to women (Rabbitte and Enriquez, 2019). Therefore, it is important to promote the
sexual education so that such crime will not take place in the society. As vulnerability of this
leads to haemorrhage and other physical damage to women and also leads to death.
Reason behind selecting FGC as sexual health issue, as this issue has led many women to
vulnerable situation where they also lost their life, thus it is important to bring concern about it
and to educate the people about this issue so that this issue can completely diminished by the
society (Botfield and et.al 201). It is public health issue because it has raised the psychological
consequences in women, medical complication includes the prolonged bleeding, and other risks
such as HIV transmission. It is found that almost 28 countries have practised the FGC those
countries are Canada, France, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United states. Somalia country
has the highest rate in the female gentile cut issue it is analysed that approximately 98 percent
women have undergone this process. WHO suggested that there are mainly four type of the FGC
which are 1. clitoridectomy Which refers as the complete removal of the clitoris, 2. Excision, it
concerns with partial removal of clitoris and labia minora 3. Infibulation it involves in reduction
of vaginal opening by moving the external genitalia part and 4. Other that include all dangerous
processes to remove the female genet ilia such as pricking, incising etc. Health and social
outcome of the FGC is vulnerable as it affects mentality and physical health of females thus this
issue is also considered as the human right violation (Hengel and et.al 201). Because of FGC it
leads to the several health disadvantages which include the serious harm, complexity having sex
and infection can also lead to infertility, it also decreases the sexual desire in women and
dissatisfaction in sexual inter course also there has no orgasm. It is also found that because of
this woman does not initiate for sex and lead to no knowledge about the sexually sensitive
element of body. As for the size and scope concern of the issue it is found that this issue has
broader scope in Africa and in middle east countries where the 125 million women have
completed this procedure worldwide it is found that almost 140 million females are facing health
challenges because of the FGC (Widman and et.al 2020).
Culture has the major impact over the sexual health as it gives the specific rules about the
sexual conduct between the sexes that helps in cultivating the knowledge and belief. It is found
that FGC practice has strong connection with the cultural aspects in ancient time people carried
out this procedure on female and young girls who are at age of 15, this procedure is done by the
traditional practitioner which is found as they did not used any kind of medical instruments and