• DOI:10.26443/MJM.V5I2.574
• Corpus ID: 155065326

Towards Redirecting the Female Circumcision Debate: Legal, Ethical and Cultural Considerations

@article{Wasunna2020TowardsRT,
  title={Towards Redirecting the Female Circumcision Debate: Legal, Ethical and Cultural Considerations},
  author={Angela Amondi Wasunna},
  journal={McGill Journal of Medicine},
  year={2020},
  volume={5}
}

• A. Wasunna
• Published 1 December 2020
• Medicine
• McGill Journal of Medicine

The World Health Organization reports that between 100 and 137 million women, mostly in Africa, have undergone some form of female circumcision (1,2) (also referred to as female genital mutilation). Female circumcision is practiced in more than twenty African countries (Table 1) as well as in Oman, South Yemen, and the United Arab Emirates. Moslem populations of Indonesia and Malaysia also practice circumcision (2). Despite regional variation in its prevalence, female circumcision is more accurately considered an ethnic practice with no direct relation to political or geographical boundaries; for example, in Kenya, the Meru practice excision, whereas the Luo do not; in Nigeria, the Yoruba, Ibo and Hausa practice excision but the Nupes of Fulani do not (3). This paper is an attempt to redirect the debate against female circumcision. The paper questions the legality of enacting criminal sanctions against female circumcision in western nations, while permitting other similar practices. To this end, the paper examines the historical and cultural context of the practice and, further, draws parallels between this procedure, male circumcision, and other forms of surgery. The paper investigates some international legislative responses to female circumcision. The paper further explores the “doublestandard” application of laws in western countries that have a high immigrant presence, in the context of female circumcision, and concludes by examining what direction the law should take in this debate. The position of the author is that although female circumcision is a medically unacceptable practice, the use of criminal law in western countries is nevertheless hypocritical and redundant. The most effective way to end female circumcision in its entirety is through aggressive education and the creation of alternatives for communities affected by the practice.