EFFECT OF VITAMINS C AND E INTAKE ON BLOOD ... - EuroJournals

European Journal of Social Sciences - Volume 2, Number 1 (2006)
clitoris is dangerous and that an unborn baby will die if its head touches it during child delivery. As a
result of these beliefs, women who have not undergone the procedure are considered unsuitable for
marriage and a poor risk as mothers. Despite the efforts of numerous human-rights organizations and
the government to discourage FGM, the practice continues in Nigeria, with its prevalence exceeding 90
percent in some communities (Briggs, 2002).
The consequences of FGM on the health of its victims are well documented. Islam and Uddin
(2001) identified the immediate consequences of FGM as hemorrhage, infection, difficulty in passing
urine, urine retention, fever, stress, shock and damage to the genital organs. According to Brady
(1999), long-term consequences of FGM include urinary incontinence, cysts, urogenital tract
infections, severe dyspareunia and pelvic inflammatory disease.
The effects of FGM on women’s reproductive system have been discussed in a number of
studies (Badri, 1984; Egwuatu & Agugua, 1981; Toubia, 1994; Obuekwe & Egbagbe, 2001)
Generally, FGM is linked with infertility and obstetrical problems such as delayed or obstructed
second stage labor, trauma, and hemorrhage during child delivery. Other long-term medical
complications might include extensive damage to the external reproductive system and uterus,
increased risk of vesico-vaginal fistulae and complications in pregnancy and childbirth. An early study
by Mustafa (1966) had estimated that 20 to 25 percent of cases of female sterility in Sudan could be
linked to FGM. More recently, available research evidence (Aziz, 1980; Mahran, 1981 and
McCaffrey, 1995; Obuekwe & Egbagbe, 2001) tend to lend credence to speculations that the high
prevalence of female sterility in many areas of sub-Sahara Africa where FGM is practiced may have
been one of the long-term consequences of exposing women to FGM.
The effects of FGM on the female sexual response are more difficult to investigate
scientifically than the obstetrical effects. However, it is reasonable to assume that the mutilation of the
clitoris would adversely affect women’s sexual pleasure and sensitivity considering that the clitoris is
probably the most erotically sensitive organ in women.
The contributions of FGM to HIV transmission have not been empirically established though it
has been postulated that FGM may play a significant role in facilitating the transmission of HIV
infection through numerous mechanisms (Brady, 1999). One of the presumed explanations of the
relationship between FGM and HIV transmission is that the presence of scar tissues and the abnormal
anatomy of a mutilated vagina would predispose a woman to numerous small tears during intercourse
thereby increasing the possibility of AIDS transmission (Hrdy, 1987).
The major concern in the issue of FGM is not so much its effects on the number of women that
have had the procedure already performed on them. What is more worrisome is why the practice
seems to be thriving in spite of the international outcry against its continuation. It is logical to think
that the attitudes of mothers to FGM would be a major factor in the continuation or discontinuation of
the practice. Based on this premise, this study was designed to investigate the practice of FGM among
the Yorubas and ascertain the factors which make women favorably disposed to its continuation. It
was hoped that the outcome of the study would assist in providing information which would assist in
the formulation of policies aimed at eradicating the practice of FGM.
Method
The study is a descriptive survey on the practice of FGM and the attitude of female parents to it
among the Yorubas of South Western Nigeria. Respondents, who were mainly teachers and civil
servants, were mothers selected by accidental but purposive sampling technique from three urban
towns (Ile-Ife, Ilesa and Osogbo) in Osun State, Nigeria. The mothers, ranged between 25 to 45 years
old, were approached in their places of work and asked to respond to a questionnaire on the practice of
“female circumcision”. During collation and scoring of the questionnaire, responses of women who
had not given birth to at least a female child within the last five years were discarded. Following this
procedure, a sample of 1583 respondents was obtained for the study.
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