Lebanon: No to salt and water fluoridation

The effects of fluoride have been controversial for a very long time. But as the number of studies into the toxic effects of fluoride has increased, there is now support for a rather long list of potential health problems related to fluoride accumulation in our body.

An ongoing petition in Lebanon is demanding that the Health Ministry permanently repeal and delete Law 178 of 2011 that was supposed to have been signed into law last month mandating that all table and kitchen salt in Lebanon be fluoridated.

According to a 500-page long scientific review, fluoride is an endocrine disruptor that can affect our bones, brain, thyroid gland, pineal gland, and even our blood sugar levels.

Forty-two human studies have also linked moderately high fluoride exposures with reduced intelligence, and over 100 animal studies have shown that fluoride exposure can cause brain damage. Most striking among these are 30 (out of a total of 32 investigations) that have shown that fluoride lowered the ability of animals to learn and remember. The following list contains 20 of the most commonly mentioned health hazards and diseases associated with fluoride exposure.

From "The Fluoride Deception"

I learnt about fluoride's harms through my friend Yelena at work and stopped using toothpaste with fluoride more than two years ago. Luckily I found a non-fluoride brand in one of the local supermarkets and have been using it since. As for salt, I deleted that from my diet more than 30 years ago and have not looked back since.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says “ingestion of excess fluoride, most commonly in drinking-water, can cause fluorosis which affects the teeth and bones. Moderate amounts lead to dental effects, but long-term ingestion of large amounts can lead to potentially severe skeletal problems. Paradoxically, low levels of fluoride intake help to prevent dental caries. The control of drinking-water quality is therefore critical in preventing fluorosis… caused by excessive intake of fluoride…

“Chronic high-level exposure to fluoride can lead to skeletal fluorosis. In skeletal fluorosis, fluoride accumulates in the bone progressively over many years. The early symptoms of skeletal fluorosis, include stiffness and pain in the joints. In severe cases, the bone structure may change and ligaments may calcify, with resulting impairment of muscles and pain…

“Acute high-level exposure to fluoride causes immediate effects of abdominal pain, excessive saliva, nausea and vomiting. Seizures and muscle spasms may also occur…”

The petition to Lebanon's Health Ministry says:

* * * *

The Lebanese government issued Law 178 dated 2011 to be implemented in December 2014, mandating that ALL TABLE AND KITCHEN SALT in Lebanon be fluoridated.

Luckily, Public Health Minister Mr. Wael Abou Faour hasn't signed this Law yet, and so FOR NOW, it will not be implemented.

HOWEVER, Law 178 MUST BE REPEALED and DELETED PERMANENTLY in order to avoid having it REINSTATED at any point in the future by the current or future Health Minister!

According to the latest scientific studies, FLUORIDE has not only been deemed inefficient to combat tooth decay, but is has serious health implications if consumed.

Here are some of the facts on FLUORIDE that you must know:

1. Fluoridated Countries Do Not Have Less Tooth Decay Than Non-Fluoridated Countries: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there is no discernible difference in tooth decay between developed countries that fluoridate their water and those that do not. In fact, tooth decay is due primarily to poor dietary and dental care habits.

2. Fluoride Affects Many Tissues in Your Body Besides Your Teeth: Fluoride is an endocrine disruptor that can affect your bones, brain, thyroid gland, pineal gland and blood sugar levels. Over 34 human studies and 100 animal studies have linked fluoride to brain damage, including lower IQ in children, as well as a wide variety of health problems such as bone fractures, thyroid disease, muscle disorders, etc.

3. Fluoridation is Not a “Natural” Process: Even if fluoride could be naturally occurring in some areas, leading to high levels in certain natural water supplies, naturally occurring substances are not automatically safe. Furthermore, the fluoride added to most water -- and in this case, salt -- supplies is not the naturally occurring variety; it's actually fluorosilicic acid, captured in air pollution control devices of the phosphate fertilizer industry!

4. Forty percent of Teenagers Show Visible Signs of Fluoride Overexposure: About 40 percent of teens have dental fluorosis, a condition that refers to changes in the appearance of tooth enamel that are caused by long-term ingestion of fluoride during the time teeth are forming. This is a sign that children are receiving large amounts of fluoride from multiple sources, not only from drinking water but also fluoride toothpaste, processed beverages/foods, fluoride pesticides, tea, non-stick pans and some fluoridated drugs! Dental fluorosis is NOT "just cosmetic." It can also be an indication that the rest of your body, such as your bones and internal organs, including your brain, have been overexposed to fluoride as well!

5. For Infants, Fluoridated Water Provides No Benefits, Only Risks: Infants who consume formula made with fluoridated tap water may consume up to 1,200 micrograms of fluoride, or about 100 times more than the recommended amounts! Not only are they more likely to develop dental fluorosis, but they may also have reduced IQ scores, as found by a Harvard University meta-analysis.

6. Fluoride Supplements Have Never Been Approved by the FDA

7. Fluoride is the Only Medicine Added to Public Water: Fluoride is added to drinking water and salt to prevent a disease (tooth decay), and as such becomes a medicine by FDA definition. Many European nations have rejected fluoride for the very reason that delivering medication via the water supply would be inappropriate. Water and salt fluoridation is a form of mass medication that denies you the right to informed consent!

8. Swallowing Fluoride Provides Little Benefit to Teeth: The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has acknowledged that adding fluoride to water, salt, and pills, which are swallowed, offers no benefit to your teeth. Only topical contact with teeth could offer some benefit to them.

In conclusion, it is not surprising that most developed countries DO NOT fluoridate their salt and water.

As health-conscious consumers, we demand that our government does not mass-medicate us without our consent! We have the right to know and decide what we want to consume, especially when it comes to such a hazardous non-nutrient and non-essential additive.

And so we urge you to help REPEAL and DELETE this Law PERMANENTLY at the risk of it being forced upon the Lebanese community at any point in the future.

For more information about the dangers of fluoride and the 2014 Lebanese anti-FLUORIDE campaign, please check out this Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/mysalt2014

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The petition created by Yasmine K, is supported by Lebanon’s The WellnessProject presented by the House of Chi.

TheWellness Project aims at raising awareness among the general public, and professionals of the field, by making available to them the latest information in complimentary and traditional healthcare, holistic medicine and environmental health as well as hosting international and local guest speakers in their respective fields of healthcare.

Muslim Council of Britain denounces FGM

Ahead of "Cutting Season" and Girl Summit 2014, the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) last week endorsed a landmark declaration making Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) unlawful and clarifying it is not supported by religious doctrine.

The UK’s most prominent Muslim organization on June 20 denounced FGM as contrary to Islam, adding that the traditional practice severely violates the human rights of women and girls.

The first Girl Summit, to be hosted by the UK and UNICEF on July 22, aims to mobilize domestic and international efforts to end FGM and child early and forced marriage (CEFM) within a generation.

Girls and women have the right to live free from violence and discrimination and achieve their potential, but some are being prevented from doing so by harmful practices such as FGM and CEFM, which are illegal in the UK, says a statement on the UK government site.

The summit wants to secure new commitments from the private sector, faith leaders, other civil society organizations and governments.

Child, early and forced marriage occurs in every part of the world, affecting millions of girls every year. One in three girls in developing countries is married by the age of 18, and one in nine by the age of 15. Some are as young as eight.

Girls who marry young have babies while still children, putting them at risk of death or suffering for the rest of their lives. They are more likely to be poor and stay poor. In the UK, hundreds of girls risk being forced into marriage, violating their human rights. Forced marriage victims can suffer physical, psychological, emotional, financial and sexual abuse.

FGM removes a girl’s right to have control over her own body. Traditionally considered essential for marriage and inclusion in the community, it is an extreme and violent way in which girls and women are controlled and disempowered. It can result in a lifetime of pain, psychological problems and difficulty in childbirth. Current trends suggest at least 30 million girls will be at risk over the next decade -- with more than 20,000 at risk in the United Kingdom every year, the UK government website adds.

MCB declaration

The religious and community leaders that signed the historic declaration condemning FGM noted, however, there are still barriers to ending the practice in the UK.

The MCB is one of the UK’s largest and most diverse Muslim umbrella organizations with over 500 affiliated national, regional and local organizations, mosques, charities and schools.

The Church of England and the Muslim Women’s Network UK were two of 160 groups who supported the announcement denouncing FGM as a form of violence against women and a denial of women’s human rights not supported by religious doctrine. The groups will sign a joint declaration condemning FGM -- currently a criminal offense in the UK -- during the Girl Summit.

The MCB will launch a campaign by distributing leaflets in mosques and community centers in Britain to support ending the barbaric practice.

It said it was “not true” mutilation was a Muslim requirement noting that one of the “basic principles” of Islam was not to harm oneself or others.

The MCB said FGM was bringing Islam “into disrepute” and could cause severe pain, bleeding, problems in pregnancy and even death, as well leaving some victims with lasting psychological problems.

The new leaflet states: “FGM is not an Islamic requirement. There is no reference to it in the Holy Quran that states girls must be circumcised. Nor is there any authentic reference to this in the Sunnah, the sayings or traditions of our Prophet. FGM is bringing the religion of Islam into disrepute.”

The document also warns there is “an increasingly high risk of being prosecuted” for carrying out mutilation, which has been illegal in the UK since 1985, and that perpetrators face up to 14 years in prison.

The MCB announcement follows a Home Office summit on June 19 at which other religious organizations, including the Shia al-Khoei Foundation and the Muslim Women’s Network UK, announced their support for a government declaration against FGM to be published at the Girl Summit.

Harmful practice

Three million girls and women are subjected to FGM worldwide each year. That's 8000 girls per day.

FGM is a harmful practice that is recognized worldwide as a human rights violation. The practice of FGM violates:

• Right to physical and mental integrity
• Right to highest attainable standard of health
• Right to be free from all forms of discrimination against women (including violence against women)
• Right to freedom from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment
• Rights of the child, and
• In extreme cases, right to life

The European Parliament estimates 500,000 girls and women living in Europe are suffering with the lifelong consequences of FGM. It still affects up to 140 million women and girls worldwide, with an estimated 20,000 girls at risk in the UK.

Increasingly as migration becomes more common, diaspora communities arriving to Western nations continue the practice. FGM prevalence is therefore rising among migrant residents of Norway, Australia, Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, Britain and the United States. Migrant families, often traveling with their young daughters in summer vacations to their native countries, have the procedure performed at grave risk of infection bleeding and death when non-clinicians perform this procedure. School holidays become “The Cutting Season.”

FGM tradition

Also known as female circumcision or simply as “cutting,” FGM/C involves removing all or part of the clitoris, the surrounding labia (the outer part of the vagina) and sometimes the sewing up of the vagina, leaving only a small opening for urine and menstrual blood.

There are no medical benefits to this tradition. It is carried out for cultural reasons, often because it demonstrates a girl's virginity on her wedding night.

It seems the practice predates Christianity and Islam. There is mention made of Egyptian mummies that display characteristics of FGM/C. The historian Herodotus claims that in the fifth century BC the Phoenicians, Hittites and Ethiopians practiced circumcision. It is also reported circumcision rites were practiced in tropical zones of Africa, in the Philippines, by certain tribes in the Upper Amazon, and in Australia by women of the Arunta tribe. It also occurred among the early Romans and Arabs.

Many different peoples and societies have followed the FGM/C practice. It cuts across ages, continents, religions and is performed by Muslims, Christians, Ethiopian Jews and Copts among others.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates between 100 and 140 million girls and women worldwide have been subjected to one of three types of female genital mutilation. Estimates based on the most recent prevalence data indicate that 91.5 million girls and women above the age of nine in Africa are currently living with the consequences of FGM. There are an estimated three million girls in Africa at risk of undergoing FGM every year.

WHO has identified four types of FGM/C:

Type 1: Excision of the prepuce, with or without excision of part or the entire clitoris.

Type 2: Excision of the clitoris with partial or total excision of the labia minora.

Type 3: Excision of part or all of the external genitalia and stitching/narrowing of the vaginal opening (infibulation) -- sometimes referred to as pharaonic circumcision.

Type 4: Others, such as pricking, piercing or incising, stretching, burning of the clitoris, scraping of tissue surrounding the vaginal orifice, cutting of the vagina, introduction of corrosive substances or herbs into the vagina to cause bleeding or to tighten the opening.

The removal of, or damage to, healthy, normal genital tissue interferes with the natural functioning of the body and causes several immediate and long-term health consequences. For example, babies born to women who have undergone female genital mutilation suffer a higher rate of neonatal death; end in stillbirth or spontaneous abortion; and in a further 25%, the newborn has a low birth weight or serious infection, both of which are associated with an increased risk of perinatal death.

WHO says FGM/C is nearly always carried out on minors and is therefore a violation of the rights of the child. It also violates the rights to health, security and physical integrity of the person, the right to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and the right to life when the procedure results in death.

In Egypt, 94% of women arrange for their daughters to undergo this “medicalized” form of FGM/C, 76% in Yemen, 65% in Mauritania, 48% in Côte d’Ivoire, and 46% in Kenya. This approach may reduce some of the immediate consequences of the procedure -- such as pain and bleeding -- but, WHO and UNICEF point out, it also tends to obscure its human rights aspect and could hinder the development of long-term solutions for ending the practice.

How many more generations will it take to eradicate FGM/C? Is the magic word “education”? Is FGM/C a practice too deep-rooted to overcome? Maybe only time will tell…

In the meantime, you can take a stand with me against FGM/C and child and forced marriage by signing the pledge  to show your support in ending these harmful practices forever. Our voices will be heard at the Girl Summit.

Related articles and references:

Female Genital Mutilation must stop -- February 13, 2012

How many more Child Brides must die? -- June 11, 2012

The Muslim Council of Britain: Barbaric practice of FGM is un-Islamic -- June 20, 2014

UK Religious Groups Unite to Condemn Female Genital Mutilation -- June 20, 2014

Muslim Council of Britain says female genital mutilation is 'un-Islamic' -- June 23, 2014

End FGM European Network

Assad brings polio back to Syria

Polio, one of the most feared diseases, back in Syria

One more of the countless consequences of the continued rule of Syrian President Bashar Assad and its sanction by the international community is the confirmed outbreak of polio cases, the first in Syria in 14 years.

It is sad that polio, once one of the most feared diseases that paralyzed thousands of children every year, is back and could spread throughout the region due to the large amount of movement by Syrians fleeing their country.

In 2013, only three countries -- Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan -- remain polio-endemic, down from more than 125 in 1988.

Will Syria now be added to this list?

The map before the confirmed cases in Syria (WHO)

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a surveillance alert for the region to “actively search for additional potential cases.” It also recommends all travellers to and from polio-infected areas be fully vaccinated.

It is all the more heartbreaking given that polio cases in Syria emerged as World Polio Day was being celebrated on October 24.

On Tuesday (October 29), WHO stated, “Following reports of a cluster of 22 acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) cases on October 17 in Syria, wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) has been isolated from 10 of the cases under investigation.”

It said most of the victims are very young -- below two years of age -- and were un- or under-immunized. Estimated immunization rates in Syria declined from 91 percent in 2010 to 68 percent in 2012.

Even before this laboratory confirmation, health authorities in Syria and neighboring countries had begun planning and implementing a comprehensive outbreak response, WHO says. On October 24, an already-planned large-scale supplementary immunization activity (SIA) was launched in Syria to vaccinate 1.6 million children against polio, measles, mumps and rubella, in both government-controlled and rebel areas.

Implementation of an SIA in Deir ez-Zor province commenced promptly when the first “hot cases” were reported.

WHO expects the larger-scale outbreak response across Syria and neighboring countries to begin in early November and to last at least six to eight months -- depending on the area and based on evolving epidemiology.

It warns: “Given the current situation in Syria, frequent population movements across the region and subnational immunity gaps in key areas, the risk of further international spread of wild poliovirus type 1 across the region is considered to be high.”

A single confirmed case of polio paralysis is evidence of an epidemic

Polio is a crippling and potentially fatal infectious disease. There is no cure, but there are safe and effective vaccines. The strategy to eradicate polio is therefore based on preventing infection by immunizing every child until transmission stops and the world is polio-free.

Polio (poliomyelitis) is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus. It invades the nervous system and can cause irreversible paralysis in a matter of hours.

Polio can strike at any age, but it mainly affects children under five years old. It is spread through person-to-person contact.

When a child is infected with wild poliovirus, the virus enters the body through the mouth and multiplies in the intestine. It is then shed into the environment through the faeces where it can spread rapidly through a community, especially in situations of poor hygiene and sanitation. If a sufficient number of children are fully immunized against polio, the virus is unable to find susceptible children to infect, and dies out.

Most people infected with the poliovirus have no signs of illness and are never aware they have been infected. These symptomless people carry the virus in their intestines and can “silently” spread the infection to thousands of others before the first case of polio paralysis emerges.

For this reason, WHO considers a single confirmed case of polio paralysis to be evidence of an epidemic --particularly in countries where very few cases occur.

Polio can be prevented through immunization. Polio vaccine, given multiple times, almost always protects a child for life.

In 1988, when the Global Polio Eradication Initiative began, polio paralyzed more than 1,000 children worldwide every day. Since then, 2.5 billion children have been immunized against polio thanks to the cooperation of more than 200 countries and 20 million volunteers, backed by an international investment of more than $8 billion.

WHO, in partnership with the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, the largest private-public partnership for health, has reduced polio by 99%. Polio now survives only among the world's poorest and most marginalized communities, where it stalks the most vulnerable children. The Initiative's goal is to reach every last child with polio vaccine and ensure a polio-free world for future generations.

The oral polio vaccine costs as little as 11 U.S. cents

There are two forms of vaccine available to ward off polio - oral polio vaccine (OPV) and inactivated polio vaccine (IPV). Because OPV is an oral vaccine, it can be administered by anyone, even volunteers. One dose of OPV can cost as little as 11 U.S. cents.

According to WHO, polio cases have decreased by over 99% since 1988, from an estimated 350 000 cases then, to 223 reported cases in 2012. The reduction is the result of the global effort to eradicate the disease.

But it points out that as long as a single child remains infected, children in all countries are at risk of contracting polio. Failure to eradicate polio from these last remaining strongholds could result in as many as 200,000 new cases every year, within 10 years, all over the world.

May the children of Syria be protected from this disease.

Shut out diabetes with healthy living

A sedentary lifestyle, fatty fast-food and lack of exercise are contributing to more and more people falling victim to lifestyle ailments such as diabetes and obesity. Not a week goes by without reports on the high numbers in the UAE.

Diabetes is a pandemic in the Middle East and North Africa. While an estimated 24.5 million people are affected by diabetes, an equal number of people are on the threshold with Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT) or pre-diabetic stage. The figure is expected to double in the next 15 years.

This explosion of diabetes in the region is due primarily to the rapid economic growth, widespread urbanization as well as Westernized and sedentary lifestyles. Diabetes ranks top on the region’s healthcare concerns and diabetes education efforts are in full swing.

I am all too familiar with diabetes and its effects. My father, Esa, had diabetes. He developed Type 2 diabetes in his late forties. I don’t remember exactly when, but I was very young and it affected his lifestyle and the family’s.

Although not life-threatening and kept under control, it eventually contributed to his death. When he was admitted, unconscious, to hospital in Bahrain after being hit by a drunk driver, the doctors did not know he had diabetes. It seems wrong medicines were administered in the ER and…

Dad was a big sportsman and not obese. A lot of adjustments were made to the family’s diet and activities. We were brought up with very little sweets at home so as not to tempt him. Dishes were cooked in a healthy, non-greasy way, and the beach was a great outlet for sports. It taught us very young to eat healthy and try and always exercise.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates more than 346 million people worldwide have diabetes. Without intervention, this number is likely to more than double by 2030. It says 80% of diabetes deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.

WHO explains:

Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood sugar. Hyperglycaemia, or raised blood sugar, is a common effect of uncontrolled diabetes and over time leads to serious damage to many of the body's systems, especially the nerves and blood vessels.

Type 1 diabetes (previously known as insulin-dependent, juvenile or childhood-onset) is characterized by deficient insulin production and requires daily administration of insulin. The cause of Type 1 diabetes is not known and it is not preventable with current knowledge.

Symptoms include excessive excretion of urine (polyuria), thirst (polydipsia), constant hunger, weight loss, vision changes and fatigue. These symptoms may occur suddenly.

Type 2 diabetes (formerly called non-insulin-dependent or adult-onset) results from the body’s ineffective use of insulin. Type 2 diabetes comprises 90% of people with diabetes around the world, and is largely the result of excess bodyweight and physical inactivity.

Symptoms may be similar to those of Type 1 diabetes, but are often less marked. As a result, the disease may be diagnosed several years after onset, once complications have already arisen. Until recently, this type of diabetes was seen only in adults but it is now also occurring in children.

Gestational diabetes is Hyperglycaemia with onset or first recognition during pregnancy. Symptoms are similar to Type 2 diabetes. It is usually diagnosed through prenatal screening, rather than reported symptoms.

Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT) and Impaired Fasting Glycaemia (IFG) are intermediate conditions in the transition between normality and diabetes. People with IGT or IFG are at high risk of progressing to Type 2 diabetes, although this is not inevitable.

Last World Diabetes Day (November 14, 2011), the International Diabetes Federation developed five key messages on the disease:

• Diabetes kills: 1 person every 8 seconds, 4 million people a year
• Diabetes does not discriminate: all ages, rich and poor, all countries
• Diabetes can no longer be ignored: 4 million lives lost a year, 1 million amputations a year, millions lost in income and productivity
• Life-saving care, a right not a privilege: education, medicines, technologies
• Choose Health: demand healthy food and environments, keep active, eat well.

The warning signs of diabetes include (these can be mild or absent in people with Type 2 diabetes):

• Frequent urination
• Excessive thirst
• Increased hunger
• Weight loss
• Tiredness
• Lack of interest and concentration
• Vomiting and stomach pain (often mistaken as the flu)
• A tingling sensation or numbness in the hands or feet
• Blurred vision
• Frequent infections
• Slow-healing wounds

There are many risk factors for Type 2 diabetes. They include:

• Obesity and overweight
• Lack of exercise
• Previously identified glucose intolerance
• Unhealthy diet
• Increased age
• High blood pressure and high cholesterol
• A family history of diabetes
• A history of gestational diabetes

About 19.5 per cent of the UAE's population is now living with diabetes according to statistics released by the Imperial College London Diabetes Center. Figures show that 40 per cent of residents over 60 have diabetes and the number is expected to increase over the coming years.

Chart from Gulf News

A study by United Health Group titled “Diabetes in the United Arab Emirates: Crisis or Opportunity?” finds the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes in the Emirates is amongst the highest in the world.

By 2020, an estimated 32 percent of the adult population (aged 20-79), including nationals and expatriates, may have diabetes or pre-diabetes at a possible cost of $8.52 billion (AED 31.27 billion) over the next decade if current trends continue. This means that one in three adults from all levels of UAE society will be affected. Yet, the vast majority of cases of pre-diabetes and about 35 percent of cases of diabetes in the UAE remain undiagnosed, representing lost opportunities to avoid the costs and complications of a largely preventable disease.

Healthy snacks for diabetes

Weight is at the heart of the problem. Obesity, pre-diabetes and diabetes are related conditions that create a dangerous, yet preventable, cascade of health and economic impacts. According to WHO, about 73 percent of adult women and 66 percent of men are overweight or obese in the UAE, placing the country in the top five worldwide in the obesity stakes.  And women in the UAE are more likely to have pre-diabetes than men.

With children as young as 10 being diagnosed with the illness -- again due to obesity, coupled with physical inactivity, an unhealthy diet and hypertension – it is a warning bell for parents to take action.

The above figures are quite frightening and it might be time to cut down on fast food and fizzy drinks and take a walk. It’s never too early to heed an SOS on health.

Female Genital Mutilation must stop

Last Monday (February 6) was International Day against Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C). The United Nations marks the day to raise awareness about this traditional practice that severely violates the human rights of women and girls.

Female genital mutilation includes procedures that intentionally alter or cause injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. The procedure has no health benefits for girls and women.

It was an excellent opportunity to learn more about the subject. My curiosity, and I must say fear and horror at the practice (especially after seeing pictures), took me on an Internet journey for a few days, after discussing it with a friend and reading in the British press that around 66,000 women and girls in England and Wales alone are subjected to this illegal practice -- 24,000 being under the age of 15 and at high risk.

Speaking in the Commons, Home Secretary Theresa May said the British government is doing everything it can to warn young women about the dangers of the practice. “We need to redouble our efforts to make sure we educate young girls about the prospects of being taken abroad or having this done to them, but also ensure that we educate others not to do this terrible act,” May said.

Also known as female circumcision or simply as “cutting,” FGM/C involves removing all or part of the clitoris, the surrounding labia (the outer part of the vagina) and sometimes the sewing up of the vagina, leaving only a small opening for urine and menstrual blood.

There are no medical benefits to this tradition. It is carried out for cultural reasons, often because it demonstrates a girl's virginity on her wedding night.

It seems the practice predates Christianity and Islam. There is mention made of Egyptian mummies that display characteristics of FGM/C. The historian Herodotus claims that in the fifth century BC the Phoenicians, Hittites and Ethiopians practiced circumcision. It is also reported circumcision rites were practiced in tropical zones of Africa, in the Philippines, by certain tribes in the Upper Amazon, and in Australia by women of the Arunta tribe. It also occurred among the early Romans and Arabs.

As recent as the 1950s, clitoridectomy was practiced in Western Europe and the United States to treat “ailments” in women as diverse as hysteria, epilepsy, mental disorders, masturbation, nymphomania, melancholia and lesbianism.

Many different peoples and societies have followed the FGM/C practice. It cuts across ages, continents, religions and is performed by Muslims, Christians, Ethiopian Jews and Copts among others.

Prevalence in FGM/C in women and daughters (via WHO/UNICEF 2005)

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates between 100 and 140 million girls and women worldwide have been subjected to one of three types of female genital mutilation. Estimates based on the most recent prevalence data indicate that 91.5 million girls and women above the age of nine in Africa are currently living with the consequences of female genital mutilation. There are an estimated three million girls in Africa at risk of undergoing female genital mutilation every year.

In the 28 countries in sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East where FGM/C is performed, some 130 million women and girls have been affected, according to a UN interagency statement. It calls on all states, international and national organizations, civil society and communities to uphold the rights of girls and women as well as develop, strengthen and support specific and concrete actions directed towards ending FGM/C.

FGM/C causes severe pain and trauma. It can result in prolonged bleeding, infection, infertility and death. The practice is still widespread in spite of a global commitment following the 2002 UN Special Session on Children to end FGM/C by 2010, the statement says.

WHO says cases of FGM/C have been reported in Asian countries such as India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Sri Lanka, and it is suspected that it is performed among some indigenous groups in Central and South America. 

Opposition to FGM/C, and efforts to combat it, has increased since the late 1980s. The UN Secretary General's in-depth study on violence against women reported that, as of April 2006, 15 African states where FGM/C is prevalent have made it an offence under criminal law.

FGM/C is common in parts of Africa, Asia and in some Arab countries. It is practiced among communities in: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, and Uganda.

FGM/C is also practiced among certain ethnic groups in a number of Asian countries (India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan); among some groups in the Arabian Peninsula; Iraq; Palestine and among certain immigrant communities in Europe, Australia, Canada and the US.

WHO has identified four types of FGM/C:

Type 1: Excision of the prepuce, with or without excision of part or the entire clitoris.

Type 2: Excision of the clitoris with partial or total excision of the labia minora.

Type 3: Excision of part or all of the external genitalia and stitching/narrowing of the vaginal opening (infibulation) -- sometimes referred to as pharaonic circumcision.

Type 4: Others, such as pricking, piercing or incising, stretching, burning of the clitoris, scraping of tissue surrounding the vaginal orifice, cutting of the vagina, introduction of corrosive substances or herbs into the vagina to cause bleeding or to tighten the opening.

The removal of, or damage to, healthy, normal genital tissue interferes with the natural functioning of the body and causes several immediate and long-term health consequences. For example, babies born to women who have undergone female genital mutilation suffer a higher rate of neonatal death; end in stillbirth or spontaneous abortion; and in a further 25%, the newborn has a low birth weight or serious infection, both of which are associated with an increased risk of perinatal death.

A road sign in Ghana

Communities that practice FGM/C report a variety of social and religious reasons for continuing with it. Seen from a human rights perspective, the practice reflects deep-rooted inequality between the sexes, and constitutes an extreme form of discrimination against women. WHO says FGM/C is nearly always carried out on minors and is therefore a violation of the rights of the child. It also violates the rights to health, security and physical integrity of the person, the right to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and the right to life when the procedure results in death.

Data obtained by WHO over the last decade have shown little change in the frequency of FGM/C. But as a result of an emphasis on the negative health implications, there has been a dramatic increase in the proportion of FGM/C operations carried out by trained health-care personnel.

The same billboard in Uganda

In Egypt, 94% of women arrange for their daughters to undergo this “medicalized” form of FGM/C, 76% in Yemen, 65% in Mauritania, 48% in Côte d’Ivoire, and 46% in Kenya. This approach may reduce some of the immediate consequences of the procedure -- such as pain and bleeding – but, WHO and UNICEF point out, it also tends to obscure its human rights aspect and could hinder the development of long-term solutions for ending the practice.

Traditional circumcisers, who often play other central roles in communities, such as attending childbirths, mostly carry out the practice. However, WHO says health care providers perform more than 18% of all FGM/C, and this trend is increasing. It published a global strategy in 2010 “to stop health care providers from performing female genital mutilation" in collaboration with other key UN agencies and international organizations.

I touched on the topic with friends one evening last week and we wondered how this trend could be eradicated. Would it need another generation or two? Is the magic word “education” of the future generation? Is FGM/C a practice too deep-rooted to overcome? Maybe only time will tell…