Yearly, hundreds of thousands of girls and women on the earth are subjected to the process “feminine circumcision.” Within the technique of this harmful observe, ladies have half or all of their exterior genitalia eliminated. Among the many victims are additionally residents of the North Caucasian republics of Russia, and the Russian authorities don’t punish the execution of the violent process.
How this violent religious-ritual custom exists in trendy Russia, do the authorities and the clergy attempt to battle it – reveals the Russian publication of Verstka.
What’s “feminine circumcision”
Feminine circumcision is a process that’s accompanied by both trauma or partial or full amputation of the exterior genitalia. On account of the process, sensitivity is lowered and the lady could lose the flexibility to have an orgasm.
Not for medical causes
The process will not be carried out for medical causes, however for ritual or non secular causes to suppress feminine sexuality. That’s the reason within the worldwide medical neighborhood this time period will not be used, however is named “feminine genital mutilation operations”. Worldwide legislation considers them an assault on the well being of girls and women, a type of violence and discrimination.
Victims
Victims of feminine circumcision are women as much as the age of 15. Based on knowledge from the World Well being Group (WHO), in 2024, greater than 230 million ladies on the earth suffered from such operations. They’re principally carried out in African, Asian, Latin American and Center Jap nations. However there are additionally victims of feminine circumcision in Russia among the many residents of the North Caucasian republics – Dagestan, Ingushetia and Chechnya.
Accidents
The process has severe damaging penalties for girls’s well being – from severe accidents to loss of life because of blood loss. Along with bodily trauma and the shock of ache, feminine circumcision disrupts the pure functioning of the physique. Girls and women could endure from infections, their genitourinary system could also be broken, they could expertise ache throughout sexual activity, menstrual problems could happen, and the chance of problems throughout childbirth and loss of life of the mom and the new child will increase by 50%.
Why do they do it?
The “necessity” of such operations is justified by honoring traditions or non secular motives. In some cultures, it’s a part of the ceremony of feminine initiation or entry into grownup life. Feminine circumcision is usually related to Islam, together with within the Russian Federation.
Prevents lust
Within the phrases of Dagestan journalist Zakir Magomedov, “within the native non secular press, which is issued by the official clergy, articles are revealed wherein it’s written that feminine circumcision has a useful impact on a girl and protects her from lustful ideas and wishes, and is even useful for a lady.”
Feminine circumcision is carried out by folks with out medical coaching, and previous pocket knives or cattle shears are used as instruments.
Management over feminine sexuality
In nearly all circumstances, the aim of the process is outlined as management over feminine sexuality: “to not be hoika”, “to not freak out”. The official clergy of Dagestan embody feminine circumcision in non secular duties, though it’s not talked about within the Koran. Some Muslims, along with the Koran, are additionally guided by the Sunnah – traditions from the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad and statements of authoritative non secular figures. Subsequently, in some circumstances, feminine circumcision amongst Muslims may be interpreted as permissible, fascinating and even obligatory.
Formally, the Russian authorities are in opposition to it
“All ladies must be circumcised in order that there isn’t any debauchery on Earth, to scale back sexuality”, that is how the pinnacle of the Coordination Council of Muslims of the North Caucasus, Ismail Berdiev, reacted to the revelations of the “Authorized Initiative” group in 2016, which confirmed the existence of observe. Later, Berdiev clarified that “he didn’t name for feminine circumcision”, however solely spoke concerning the “drawback of debauchery”, with which “one thing have to be achieved”.
The Russian Ministry of Well being condemns the process, and the prosecutor’s workplace of Dagestan conducts an investigation and finds no affirmation of the details offered within the report of “Authorized Initiative.”
The deputy of the State Duma from “United Russia” Maria Maksakova-Igenbergs proposes to introduce the idea of “ladies’s discrimination on non secular grounds” into the Penal Code, and that the punishment for “feminine circumcision” be 10 years in jail. The Ministry of Justice of Russia doesn’t help Maksakova’s initiative, clarifying that the process falls below the Prison Code of the Russian Federation, and extra exactly below the paragraphs on “intentionally inflicting extreme, medium and lightweight hurt to well being, in addition to inflicting hurt to carelessness.”
North Caucasus
Based on the “Authorized Initiative” group, in the course of the final decade in Dagestan, at the very least 1,240 women have been subjected to the process yearly. Nearly all of the lads surveyed have been categorically in opposition to the ban on feminine circumcision, explaining their motive not solely with Islam, but in addition with native traditions and the will to manage the morality of girls. A part of the respondents expressed an opinion in opposition to the process, arguing that the shortage of sensitivity in ladies lowers the standard of intercourse in males as nicely.
And in Moscow
In 2018 one of many Moscow medical clinics proclaims the service of “feminine circumcision” for ritual and non secular causes for ladies from 5 to 12 years previous. On the clinic’s web site, it was famous that “the operation must be carried out not at house, however in a medical clinic.” After a large public response, the clinic eliminated the data from its web site, however an investigation was carried out, which discovered the existence of the process and different violations. A warning has been issued and the clinic remains to be open!
First conviction with out penalty
Even if in its second report the group “Authorized Initiative” notes the disappearance of the observe in Chechnya and Ingushetia, the inhabitants of those areas stay at risk. Within the spring of 2020, the daddy of a 9-year-old lady invited him to Magas (the capital of Ingushetia) for a go to and took him to a vaccine clinic. There, feminine circumcision was forcibly carried out on the kid. The worth of the “service” is 2000 rubles. The little lady, in her bloodstained costume, was then placed on a bus again to Chechnya, the place she was hospitalized for extreme blood loss. The daddy explains his motive as follows: “In order that he doesn’t get excited.”
A felony case has been opened in opposition to the gynecologist who carried out the circumcision for deliberately inflicting minor hurt to well being. The case has been happening for a 12 months and a half. The decide known as on the events to reconcile, including that “the lady can’t be helped anyway”. In the long run, the physician was discovered responsible and fined 30,000 rubles, however was launched from serving the sentence because of the statute of limitations. No felony proceedings have been initiated in opposition to the clinic.
In the identical 12 months, the mufti of Dagestan issued a fatwa and acknowledged the elimination of the exterior genitalia as forbidden in Islam, however clarified that “feminine circumcision” meant solely hudectomy — the elimination of the foreskin of the clitoris. That is additionally a crippling process, human rights defenders insist.
