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Female genital cutting in Sierra Leone (also known as female genital mutilation, hereinafter FGC) is the common practice of removing all or part of the female’s genitalia for cultural and religious initiation purposes or as a custom to prepare them for marriage in the country of Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone is one of 28 countries in Africa where FGC is practiced. ==Cultural reasons for FGC== While most countries in Africa do not normally participate in FGC, FGC is regularly performed in Sierra Leone.〔 The reason that FGC is common in Sierra Leone is because FGC is practiced in a ‘secret society’ called the bondo secret society. The bondo society is an all-female society (also known as the sande) in West Africa. Secret societies are ancient cultural institutions that play a major role in West Africa and have existed for hundreds of years. The purpose of this secret society is to help young women earn the rites of passage into adulthood. In order, to receive these rites of passage, a girl must undergo their cultural rituals including FGC.〔 The initiation into the society occurs in the bondo bush which is a private enclosure constructed near their village. Time spent in the bondo bush for initiation into womanhood used to take about a month, but as the generations have gone by, the time has significantly reduced.〔 Once a woman becomes a member of the bondo, she is able to go to the bondo without her husband’s permission. The bondo becomes the only place women are allowed to go to without permission from their husband. Thus, women who are a part of the bondo have an increased freedom of movement.〔 In regard to society, members of the bondo are regarded as having a higher standing than other women. The cost of FGC and initiation into the bondo society is quite expensive, and so parents are proud when their daughters are initiated because it shows they are financially stable and able to afford this. Initiation can cost anywhere from 200,000 to 600,00 Leones, which converts to 62–185 dollars.〔 Soweis, the leader of the bondo, tend to raise the price of the initiation into the society if the woman is not a virgin. FGC is so expected in society that when a husband discovers upon marriage that has wife has not undergone FGC, it is common for him to pay for her to undergo the initiation.〔 Woman’s initiation is synonymous with women’s power in Sierra Leone, and the act of excision is a reminder that women are from which all human creation is derived. Bondo elders believed that excision improves sexual satisfaction as it removes focus from the clitoris onto the hidden g-spot inside the vaginal canal which they believe has more satisfying and intense orgasms. It is also thought to enhance the appearance of a women’s genitalia and make it easier to penetrate.〔 In Sierra Leone, FGC usually consists of removing the clitoris as a major part in preparing the young women for marriage and motherhood through this initiation ceremony. The procedure is usually performed by an elderly woman of the village who has been especially designated for this task, by a village barber or by a traditional birth attendant. FGC can be broken down into three different forms of female genital cutting. Type I removes the tissue protecting the head of the clitoris. Type II removes the tissue protecting the head of the clitoris, the clitoris itself, and part of or all of the labia minora. Type III, the most extreme case, involves removing all or part of the external genitalia and stitching the vaginal opening closed.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Female genital cutting in Sierra Leone」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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