FGM

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Originally uploaded by alliancevideoblog.

Female circumcision (more commonly refered to as female genital mutilation) is the harsh reality for young girls in West Africa. I recently read that 95% of girls in Mali are "cut". Many say it is a practise encouraged by Mohammed, however, the practice can be traced back 2000 years. Even the Christians struggle against the shackles of this deep cultural tradition.
While it is now illegal in many West Afrian countries and graphic billboards speak out against it, girls continue to bleed to death during the ritual or from complications in childbirth. Men continue to endorse it because with the faith that a wife will be less inclined towards adultery if they are without sexual pleasure, and grandmothers continue to demand incision to ensure the child will have a good husband choosen for her. While the tide of change is slow, pockets of resistance are already forming as women become more educated and awareness grows.