July 15, 2012 - Circumsized Baby

[CaliforniaMama]

When a girl is taken — usually by her mother — to a free circumcision event held each spring in Bandung, Indonesia, she is handed over to a small group of women who, swiftly and yet with apparent affection, cut off a small piece of her genitals.

Circumcisions take place in a prayer center or an emptied-out elementary-school classroom where desks are pushed together and covered with sheets and a pillow to serve as makeshift beds.

It takes several minutes to remove a small amount of skin or the clitoral hood, with very little blood. Sometimes, the citoris itself is removed, but that is not the common procedure. Afterward, she is given a small gift of fruit or clothing, and a cup of milk. In 2003, a study was done in Indonesia, showing that 96% of daughters were circumcised.

Laura Guarenti, an obstetrician and WHO’s medical officer for child and maternal health in Jakarta, says, “The fact is there is absolutely no medical value in circumcising girls.”

From the New York Times