Mild Female Genital Mutilation

And what about male genital mutilation? Aka unecessary Circumcisions

There is a reason why men and all animals have foreskins. It is to protect the most sensitive parts of the penis.

The link below has some discussion about the drawbacks of circumcision.

www.drmomma.org/2010/01/cut-vs-intact-outcome-statistics.html

Dont view this if you are of a nervous disposition but it shows exactly what happens.
www.drmomma.org/2011/01/neonatal-circumcision-video-for.html

FGM is abhorrent. It should not be permitted in any form in any way anywhere. End of.

I will never understand how people started and maintained this practice for so many years. I think its so awful that women over the generations have continued to allow this to happen. They may have allowed it to continue out of fear or submission or to fit into their social and cultural groups.
Whatever their reasons it is wrong. The body belongs to the person that inhabits it it should not be violated by another person. Everyone should have a choice to decide what happens to their bodies. This is an act of violence not kindness. I respect others beliefs and the way they conduct themselves is their own business providing they observe the rules.
This is an outdated custom or practice - many women die in childbirth as a result of fgm many girls growing to adult women have urinary and gyneacological problems for life. it cannot be sanitized. Its cruel and should not be happening in 2016.
I am weary of us all being so understanding and creeping around issues that affect women its got nothing to do with race at all. Let the little girls grow up and decide for themselves.

As I understand it from yesterday's Independent some sort of cutting is involved, the clitoris is not removed, sexual pleasure and reproduction are still achievable. There are four categories in fgm allegedly and this would be the mildest form, a sort of tacit nod to say something has been done "down there" to head off the victim having to undergo the worst type of fgm. Mild fgm doesn't give any lasting problems but presumably allows the relatives to convey the fact that "she's been sorted" A procedure for which there is no purpose other than presumably a skewed kindness

I too agree that there is no such thing as "mild" female genital mutilation and it should not be accepted in any form at all. I also agree that circumcision of male infants is just as repugnant and should be made illegal.

So far as the scandals in Rotherham and Rochdale are concerned, these people were gangsters involved in all sorts of criminal activities, including drug running and prostitution. In the most recent case, two of the people convicted of procuring girls for prostitution were white women. There is no evidence that the police didn't intervene because of a sensitivity to "ethnic" considerations (though there was evidence that some members of social services were poorly trained and unaware that so far as under 16's were concerned, having sex was not a "lifestyle choice" but a criminal offence). There was a great deal of documentary evidence showing that it was a sort of inverse racism that condemned these young women to be considered by police officers to have brought their ill treatment on themselves by associating with "Pakis".

Galen. Yes, I heard it. Very well done, but very disturbing. Unfortunately it didn't tell me anything I didn't know.
ALL girl children should be examined when they come back from Somalia and Nigeria in particular.

What is this "mild mutilation" a euphemism for? I am thinking maybe they are referring to removing the clitoris rather than cutting off the labia and sewing the wound almost completely closed? Oh that's not so bad then is it.

Not so long ago it was considered essential to mutilate the feet of Chinese girl-children? Would people be acting as apologists for this cultural practice if it was still going on?

It is not racist to state 'Our laws say X, Y and Z and those laws must be followed by everyone in this country."

When I read about this for the first time yesterday, I found it horrific that doctors in America in a roundabout way sanction something that is so fundamentally wrong, it's the thin end of the wedge as far as I'm concerned. There are a lot of very strident voices around today about gender issues generally, Germaine Greer was recently denied a platform for her views on the subject, ironic given the trail blazer that she was. Conversely on an insidious practice that is gradually becoming accepted such as fgm, along with the other "no go area" Asian grooming there is a deafening silence.

Did anyone else hear the afternoon play on radio4?

It's too late. It's too wide spread here and it's only going to get worse.
We could have 10s of 1,000s of people coming to this country from cultures that think this mutilation is normal.
How many prosecutions have we had, none. That's says it all.

As Luckygirl says it is a contradiction in terms. There is no such thing as a little bit mutilated! Mutilation is mutilation and the only other word for it is unacceptable!

We are in grave danger of descending into the dark ages and far worse if we don't stand up against this sort of barbarism and the many other insidious things which are being swept under the carpet for fear of accusations of discrimination of some sort or another.

It is absolutely right that we all have to stand up and be counted and take the time to complain and bring things to the attention of the public. We must support those who are trying to stamp out these evil practices so that they can do their duty/work without fear.

"Mild female genital alteration" - a contradiction in terms. I can see nothing mild about it and we should not let our fear of being branded racist prevent us from saying so. I am happy to stand up and say that I also object to the religious circumcision of baby boys - I have no idea how this is still legal in our supposedly civilized country.

I'm trying to respond Terri but keep receiving 'Message is invalid'