Women's issues on a Global Scale

I normally focus on the discrepancy of equality between the sexes in our society, however, today I would like to bring some global issues involving women's rights to light. The first issue is also the one that I find most appalling, and that is the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM). This is a ritual that is performed across ethnic, religious, and cultural lines. FGM takes on many different forms and can include the removal of the clitoris and the outer labia, as well as sewing the vaginal opening closed. The procedure is generally done outside of a hospital setting by other women with instruments including razors and is usually completed without anesthetic. Aside from the obvious pain that the procedure causes, it can also cause reproduction problems, complications during childbirth, serious infection, leakage, and many other medical problems. While many countries have outlawed the practice of FGM, it is still prevalent, and in the African countries of Somalia and Dijibouti, 98% of women undergo the mutilation.

Another global issue affecting many women is the lack of control over reproduction that many women have. Many countries still outlaw abortions, causing women to undergo back alley abortions that can lead to serious complications and death. Many hospitals that are located in one of the 72 countries in which abortion is illegal, are saturated with women who have undergone risky illegal abortions. Often these women are very poor and would be unable to care for their child if it was brought to term. These women are forced to seek out harmful solutions, when the procedure could be completed quickly and safely in a proper health setting.

*All information retrieved from globalfeminism.com