Female Genital Mutilation in West Africa

Female genital mutilation in West African continent is considered as one of the vast territory’s social problems. This social problem which is accounted as an old tradition has had 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 this tradition is consistent with old traditions remaining from their ancestors and its safeguard is quite important for them. The way this old tradition was conducted and the reasons for this 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. The methodology was library studies based on description and analysis logics and the main body of the information was gathered through referring to libraries and the most recent books and articles. Focusing on female genital mutilation in west Africa and its long-lasting physical and mental symptoms are considered as data of this paper. Female genital mutilation phenomenon is a wrong tradition that causes long-lasting complication. However due to the efforts of United Nation and its associate institutions it has been under control gradually. There are expectations that through steady contact with local communities and paramount chiefs it would be limited considerably up to the end of 2010 decade.