Highly demand that the practice of female circumcision should be stopped!

Female circumcision is representative of just more than an act of violation towards human rights for women and girls. The procedures are extremely painful and in some cases it results in death of these innocent lives who plainly are not allowed any sense of self identification as well as the right to speak out. It reflects deep-rooted inequality between the sexes and constitutes an extreme form of discrimination against women. The practice also violates a person's rights to health, security and physical integrity, the right to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. In eight countries, almost all young girls are cut. In Somalia, the prevalence is 98%, in Guinea 96%, in Djibouti 93% and in Egypt, in spite of its partly westernized image, 91%. In Eritrea and Mali the figure is 89% and a prevalence of 88% was reported in both Sierra Leone and Sudan. Female circumcision is in many communities believed to reduce a woman's libido and therefore believed to help her resist 'illicit' sexual acts. When a vaginal opening is covered or narrowed [as is the case in the more extreme forms of Female circumcision), the fear of the pain of opening it, and the fear that this will be found out, is expected to further discourage 'illicit' sexual intercourse among women with this type of circumcision (this was reported by the World Heath Organization - WHO). There is also a belief in some cases that women's genitalia are unfeminine, ugly or unclean. Apart from the pain and distress involved in the procedure at the time, there can be long-term health consequences, even sometimes involving infertility. Bladder and urinary tract infections and cysts are not uncommon. There is an increased risk of problems during childbirth, which could in extreme cases lead to the death of the baby. Where the circumcision involves sewing up or narrowing the vaginal opening, this must be undone to allow sexual intercourse and then before the woman can give birth. Females should not be subjected to this horrendous act due to religious beliefs or that of any kind. It is just plain evil!