An Analytical Approach to Female Genital Mutilation in West Africa

Female genital mutilation in different parts of the African continent is
considered as one of the vast territory’s social problems. This social problem which
is accounted as an old tradition in different countries of the African continent has
had so many unpleasant physical and mental effects on urban and rural African
women during recent centuries. Throughout recent decades, considerable efforts
have been made by United Nations and its dependent organizations and private
institutes in order to stop or reduce the young girls circumcision rate in African
continent; however, most of the indigenous population insist on this wrong tradition
and proclaim that this tradition is a part of their old traditions remaining from their
ancestors and its safeguard is quite important for them.
In this article, the way this old tradition is conducted and the reasons underlying
the action have been studied. Furthermore, the activities taking place by organizations
related to United Nations and African politicians in order to confront female genital
mutilation in different countries of Western Africa and their reflection in urban and
rural regions have been studied through existing documents and witnesses.