Save A Clit
Female genital mutilation (FGM) includes procedures that intentionally alter or cause injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. The procedure has no health benefits for girls and women. FGM is often motivated by beliefs about what is considered proper sexual behavior, linking procedures to premarital virginity and marital fidelity.
The enrichment that girls receive from Pastoralist Child Foundation’s educational programming is crucial in providing them with the confidence and self-esteem to reclaim control of their own sexuality and make decisions about their future.Â
In order to open pathways of reach between the villages we serve, we create community dialogues to address the impact of women affected by FGM, including the voices of former circumcisers. We’re honoring the experiences of girlhood regardless if they have been circumcised or impacted by other harsh practices of tradition.
There are multiple types of FGM procedures.
- Clitoridectomy: partial or total removal of the clitoris.
- Excision: partial or total removal of the clitoris and the labia minora, with or without excision of the labia majora.Â
- Infibulation: narrowing of the vaginal opening through the creation of a covering seal. The seal is formed by cutting and repositioning the inner or outer labia, with or without removal of the clitoris.
All other harmful procedures to the female genitalia include pricking, piercing, incising, scraping, and cauterizing the genital area.
The FGM procedure that seals or narrows a vaginal opening requires that the opening be cut open later to allow for sexual intercourse and childbirth. Sometimes, it is stitched again several times, even after childbirth, forcing the girl or woman to go through repeated opening and closing procedures.
Other FGM Facts
FGM is mostly carried out on young girls, sometimes between infancy and age 15.
Procedures can cause severe bleeding and problems urinating, and later cysts, infections, infertility, as well as complications in childbirth with increased risk of newborn deaths.
Immediate complications can include severe pain, shock, haemorrhage (bleeding), tetanus or sepsis (bacterial infection), urine retention, open sores in the genital region, keloids, and injury to nearby genital tissue.
Though no religious scripts prescribe the practice, religious leaders take varying positions with regard to FGM; some promote it, some consider it irrelevant to religion, and others contribute to its elimination.
In the USA, 500,000 girls and women are at risk of FGM. Yes, you read that right…500,000!
The practice is mostly carried out by traditional circumcisers who often play other central roles, though more than 18% of all FGM is performed by health care providers. This trend is increasing.
How you can fight FGM with us
- Follow us and share our posts on social media using #SAVEACLIT
- Buy merchandise from our shop and flaunt with style and awareness
- Attend our in-person and virtual events with friends and colleagues
- Donate to our projects to support our programming
By joining our mission to end FGM, you play a vital role in saving lives and building a growing network of safety and empowerment for women and girls. This eliminates the cycles of suffering and shame, bettering economic differences in the lives of girls and their families. Pastoralist girls will no longer be represented as a commodity for exchange, and their connection to their families and their own ambitions will be nurtured with the resources we share. This is shown through the triumph of the women and girls who thrive in our programs with the education and desire to help their families survive on the land that needs them. When you help PCF save a clit, you help villages save the climate.
