A Look at the Problem of Female Circumcision; The Blade on Girls' Skirts

"Circumcision," known in English as "Circumcision," is a combination of the words "Circum" meaning "around" and "Caedere" meaning "to cut." Cutting female genitalia, sexual mutilation of women, or female circumcision is referred to in Arabic as "ختان الاناث" and in English as "Female Genital Mutilation" or "Female Genital Cutting." The global community decided to replace the term female circumcision with sexual mutilation at a global conference in Africa for two reasons: 1. To distinguish this act from male circumcision. 2. To draw more attention to its dangers and consequences. However, after years of research in this area, the author believes that each of these terms has its own characteristics and provides various opportunities for activists against this practice. For example, when sexual mutilation is used, the subject can be linked to the disability of women, while when circumcision is mentioned, the religious dimensions of this act can be assessed. Generally, during the "circumcision" of girls and women, the long, protruding cylindrical part known as the "clitoris," located at the bottom of which is the urinary canal and urogenital sinus, is cut. Given that the clitoris is the center of female sexual stimulation, it is natural that by cutting this part of women's genitalia, they will be deprived of sexual pleasure for much of their lives. According to a UNESCO report published in 2005, "female circumcision is the cutting of all or part of the external genitalia or any kind of harm to women's organs for cultural or non-medical reasons that occurs in many countries" (UNICEF; 2005). February 6 (17 Bahman) has been declared International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Cutting by many international organizations. According to statistics from 2005, the number of circumcised women and girls worldwide exceeds 130 million. The World Health Organization has stated that every year, 2 million girls, or 6,000 per day, are circumcised from birth until puberty (UNICEF; 2005). According to a UNICEF report in 2007, despite the prohibition of female circumcision in many countries, 8,000 girls and women are still circumcised daily. The number of circumcised women and girls has now reached 150 million. Around the world, every 11 seconds, a girl's sexual organ is mutilated. Female sexual mutilation has various types. This classification was determined by global organizations in 2008: - Partial or total removal of the clitoris and/or the labia minora - Partial or total removal of the clitoris and the labia minora with/without cutting the labia majora - Narrowing the vaginal canal by creating a covering seal by cutting and repositioning the labia minora and/or labia majora, with or without cutting the clitoris. Any other dangerous act on women's genitalia for non-medical purposes, such as piercing, needling, or splitting, falls under group four. The most common type of female sexual mutilation is cutting the clitoris and labia, which includes 80% of victims, while 15% undergo the procedure of genital stitching. Like any other issue related to sexual tendencies, female sexual mutilation is also a taboo. Women often suffer in silence, and local communities do not recognize the harmfulness of this act. Raising awareness within communities, especially among women themselves, is crucial. The lack of information is one of several reasons women fall into the trap of sexual mutilation. "Female circumcision" is violence against women perpetrated by women themselves. Men rarely play a direct role in its execution. However, one reason for the continuation of "female circumcision" is that many women and girls are viewed as objects, and men have a possessive view of them. Sexual mutilation is considered to increase a woman's value. Studies have shown that 29 countries were recorded in the list of circumcising countries in 2014, where the act is performed on women and girls. All of these countries are African, with only Yemen and northern Iraq from Asia included in this list. While global human rights organizations strive to add other countries like Saudi Arabia, southern and central Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, and anywhere else this act occurs to this list, so that education, prevention, and awareness can be provided to those regions. In Iran, the presence and existence of female sexual mutilation were first reported in the early 80s through very few and limited interviews and reports from women who traveled to or were native to these areas. These reports helped other women become sensitive to the issue and led to research being conducted in this area. So far, about 10 academic studies focusing on statistical and legal aspects have been registered in Iranian universities. Statistical research shows that in the provinces of Kermanshah, Kurdistan, West Azerbaijan, and Hormozgan, the act of female sexual mutilation is still alive and well. Unofficial research and reports also indicate that other provinces involved include Ilam and Lorestan; however, these six provinces have been studied so far, and no information has been obtained from other parts of Iran. Dr. Fatemeh Norouziyan, the public relations manager of Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, stated in an interview with Mehr News in 2013 that "in the past 15 or 20 years, cases of female circumcision have been observed in Bandar Kong, but only in certain parts of this city." Female circumcision is not a routine and clear matter, and if it occurs in a family, it is done completely secretly and not in doctors' offices. This act is morally, religiously, medically, and health-wise wrong, and if we know who performs these acts, we will certainly prevent them. However, because it is done completely secretly, it is unidentifiable. On the other hand, since this act is not widespread, public education cannot be provided in this area. However, in the past 20 years, when this act has been taking place in Bandar Kong, one health center staff member was able to prevent the advancement and spread of this act by educating and raising awareness among the residents of this port. This is just one example of officials' views on female circumcision, from which several very important points can be extracted: 1. As a spokesperson for the University of Medical Sciences of a province, it should be noted that discussing any topic requires research. The secrecy of an act should never be an excuse for the relevant organizations to prevent or raise awareness. If this act is morally, medically, and health-wise wrong, it should be prevented even if it is performed on just one person. The global community has been trying for years with the slogan "even one is too many" to combat this phenomenon. 2. It is clear that those who perform circumcision, known as circumcisers or midwives, never introduce themselves to the community or organizations. The secrecy of this act is not a good excuse for inaction. For example, in the 1990s, when health centers in Iran began efforts to combat home births to reduce maternal mortality, relevant government organizations worked together to prevent this act by local midwives and to transfer pregnant women about to give birth to health centers, obtaining commitments from all midwives not to perform this act at home. This process was because the maternal mortality rate is one of the indicators of development for any country. Therefore, the government continues to strive to show Iran's high development ranking by reducing maternal mortality. How is it possible to identify midwives and obtain commitments from them for such matters, but it is impractical in the case of female circumcision? It should also be noted that most of those who perform circumcision in these areas were once midwives themselves. One of the issues that is important in this context and the presence of midwives is that these women will unknowingly continue this work without receiving any payment until their death and old age. After the midwife's death, the community automatically replaces her with someone else to continue the work. This process is called "midwifery" and occurs approximately every 40 years with the death or severe illness of a midwife. A very good example of this process is a woman named Farzaneh in the village of Basaydooy in Qeshm, whose midwifery process is mentioned in the book "The Blade and Tradition": "Farzaneh, a young woman who has two daughters, has only recently turned to performing this act. Her first daughter is circumcised by the village's elderly midwife, who, due to her old age, cuts the girl's vein. After that, Farzaneh decides to circumcise her second daughter herself at an appropriate time. She does this with a small eyebrow scissors. First, she washes the scissors, disinfects them with Betadine, then disinfects the genitalia and the area to be cut with Betadine. She cuts a little of the clitoris with the tip of the scissors and sends a prayer for the completion of the act. She also shows the removed flesh to the girl's mother to prove that she has taken very little from the clitoris. The use of scissors was Farzaneh's innovation; otherwise, others perform this act with a blade. She does not circumcise girls over 5 years old. The villagers are very grateful to her because they were very worried about finding a midwife for their daughters' circumcision. Farzaneh sought the opinion of the Friday prayer leader to start performing circumcision on girls, and he responded: "This work must definitely be done." She adds that if the cleric orders against it, she will not proceed with this act. 3. In the mentioned interview with Mehr News, the issue of public education is shown to be both possible and impossible! On one hand, since this act is not widespread, public education cannot be provided, but on the other hand, one staff member took responsibility and undertook the education, which is commendable. After years of research on female circumcision, it must be stated that no factor is more effective than public education in rooting out this practice. Although Iran needs to issue a strong and codified law in this area, public education must also exist alongside the law. A very good example of this process is Iraqi Kurdistan. Non-governmental organizations in Iraq have been trying to study the phenomenon of female circumcision in this region since 2004. After collecting public statistics, they sent various groups to these areas and raised awareness through gathering women in village mosques and distributing brochures and films. This led to Iraqi Kurdistan being listed as a circumcising country in 2014 to receive more global assistance. What do Iranian laws say? The advantages and limitations of the legal prohibition have sparked numerous discussions about female sexual mutilation. The restriction of this act for girls and women has a positive impact. The law can protect vulnerable members of society. The law explicitly states that the protection of individuals' rights and their violation is the responsibility of the law. In global protocols and international legal conventions, it is considered that the act and prevalence of female circumcision constitute a violation of these rights. For example, to emphasize the importance of children's rights, Article 24, paragraph three of the Convention on the Rights of the Child states: "States Parties to the Convention shall take all necessary and appropriate measures to eliminate traditional and superstitious practices in providing health facilities for children" (Convention on the Rights of the Child; 1383:19). In addition, some countries have separately enacted national laws; for example, in European countries, due to the influx of a large number of African refugees, laws have been enacted that if parents perform this act on their daughter, their custody will be taken away. In Iran, there is no direct law prohibiting female circumcision, but there are several articles that can be extended to female circumcision as they are general provisions: Article 269 of the Islamic Penal Code, ratified in 1370 by the Judicial and Legal Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly (Jahangir; 1388), states: "Cutting or injuring a member if intentional leads to retaliation, and in this case, the victim [the person against whom the crime has been committed] can, with the permission of the guardian, retaliate against the perpetrator under conditions that will be mentioned. Note 1: The punishment for the accomplice in this matter is three months to one year in prison." In 1392, the Islamic Penal Code underwent changes regarding the cutting of members, with articles changing from 269 to 387 and 388. Other related articles also underwent minor changes. Article 387: The punishment for intentional injury to a member, upon the request of the victim or their guardian and the existence of other conditions stipulated by law, is retaliation, and otherwise, the prescribed blood money and punishment in the fifth book of punishments apply. Article 388: Injury to a member refers to any harm less than murder, such as cutting a member, injuring, and damage to interests. Article 663 of the Islamic Penal Code, ratified in 1392, states: "Cutting and destroying either side of a woman's genitalia results in half the blood money of a woman, and cutting and destroying part of it has the same proportion of blood money." In this ruling, there is no difference between a virgin and a non-virgin, minor and adult, healthy and defective, such as a rupture and a fracture. Article 17 of the Islamic Penal Code, ratified in 1392: "Blood money, whether determined or not, is the property that in sacred law is prescribed for causing unintentional injury to the self, members, and interests or intentional injury in cases where there is no retaliation for any reason, as prescribed by law."