8-year-old Afreen's mother takes her to an unknown place after asking her to get a doll. Where some people are already present. Before Afreen could understand anything, these people held her hands and legs tightly. A woman circumcises Afreen by running a blade on his private part.
Afreen starts screaming in pain. Her bleeding does not stop despite medication and dressings. Her mother began to feel that she would lose her daughter. The next day she took the baby girl to another hospital. There the surgeon stitched the private part of the girl, only then the bleeding stopped.
The story of 8-year-old Afreen is just an example. More than 20 crore women from 92 countries of the world have had to go through this painful practice and this number is increasing continuously. The United Nations considers it a violation of human rights, so every year on February 6, 'International Zero Tolerance Day' is celebrated against female circumcision.
In Bhaskar Explainer, we will know what is female circumcision, how it is done, how many types are there and why is Zero Tolerance Day celebrated in the world?
In circumcision, a part of women's vagina is cut off with a sharp blade or knife. Circumcision is mostly done at the age of 1 year to 15 years. The girls suffer a lot in this process. This practice is common among the Bohra Muslim community in India.
Masuma Ranalvi, who runs the organization 'We Speak Out' to end the practice of circumcision in the Bohra community, says that women are circumcised to control their sexual desire and to keep them pure.
Actually, Bohra Muslims came to India from Yemen. There was a practice of female circumcision. This practice also came to India with the Bohra Muslims. Today 80% of the world's Bohra Muslims live in India and follow the practice of circumcision.
According to a 2018 report, about 75% of the girls of the Dawoodi Bohra community in India who are 7 years or older have been circumcised.
Circumcision is done in a single cut with a sharp blade
Dr. Shujat Wali, Gynecologist at Lara Hospital in Gujarat, says that usually the grandmother or mother of the house takes the girl child out of the house in the name of walking. There are already two people present in a room. They hold both the legs of the child. The clitoris hood is then separated in a single cut with a specially sharpened knife, razor blade or scissors.
In ancient times, cold ashes were applied to stop bleeding. Nowadays antibiotic powder or lotion and cotton are used. The baby is sent home after about 40 minutes after the bleeding stops. He is forbidden to play and jump for three to four days. Sometimes both the legs of the girl are kept tied for a week.
Circumcision is done in four ways
Female circumcision is called Female Genital Mutilation ie FGM in English. It includes all procedures in which the external genitalia of women are partially or completely removed without any medical need. According to WHO, it is of 4 types. Type-1 circumcision is practiced in the Bohra community of India.
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