1st national conference on controversial issue female circumcision: Brutally harmful [Archives:2003/03/Local News]

The first national conference for girls health project entitled “Circumcision is Harmful for Girls and Women” kicked off Dec. 30 in Aden University Hall.
The conference aimed at coming up with a number of suggestions and recommendations to limit socially and physically harmful consequences that accompany this phenomenon.
It focused on rural areas in which circumcision is widespread and also attempted to include the mass media in raising awareness about this phenomenon.
The opening ceremony was attended by Taha Ahmed Ghanem, Aden governor, Dr. Saleh Ali Basara, Aden University rector, Deputy of the Aden governor, the manager of the health office in Aden, Ms. Fawzia Hamed, director of the project for girls health, Dr. Suhear Talba, the regional coordinator, Ms. Raheeda al-Hamadani, and the head of the women national committee.
Fourteen participants from a number of governorates of republic along with experts and doctors focused on the healthy, physical and social damages of the circumcision, and relayed various experiences and surveys.
Ms Shafiqa Abdu Ahmed, specialist in nursing and delivery, pointed out that the circumcision problem, which is done under pretext protecting girl purity, is considered one of the traditions and norms has no religious and legitimate relation or connection at all.
“In my opinion, purity comes from through parents’ good education and discipline and observation for their children, not through slicing the organ of a body, which is considered an atrocious interference in God’s creation,” she said.
“In my opinion, this phenomenon is considered one of the shapes of violence and discrimination against women and one of the traditions that disgraces women’ dignity and humanity and it should be considered a mistake, sin and crime” she added.
“I would like to confirm that circumcision for female is believed an aggression particularly on the girl physically, psychologically and socially, and on the society in general. There is a lot of suffering that accompany the girl since birth until being a wife and mother bearing the bleeding and agony that accompanied this operation.
“The bleeding sometimes can be controlled and sometimes cannot that causing the death in most cases. Besides there are damages that appear later on such as frequent inflammation in the same area or continuos infection that can reach to the inner genitals like pelvis’ and finding scares and agglutination that woman suffers from all her life that will prevent her to sexually response and have pleasure that creating problems among the couples and disconnect the family relations,” said Ahmed.

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