Sexual Health and Sexual Health Promotion (Essay Sample)

Sexual Health, Sexual Promotion and the Practice of FGM
Table of Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u Sexual Health, Sexual Promotion and the Practice of FGM PAGEREF _Toc69510310 \h 1Introduction PAGEREF _Toc69510311 \h 3Background PAGEREF _Toc69510312 \h 4Sexual Health and Sexual Health Promotion PAGEREF _Toc69510313 \h 4FGM and its Impact PAGEREF _Toc69510314 \h 5Discussion PAGEREF _Toc69510315 \h 7FGM on an International Perspective and its Motivations PAGEREF _Toc69510316 \h 7Dealing with FGM and Legislations around FGM PAGEREF _Toc69510317 \h 9Challenges in Promoting Good Sexual Health PAGEREF _Toc69510318 \h 10Addressing FGM and Mobilising Communities PAGEREF _Toc69510319 \h 11Conclusion PAGEREF _Toc69510320 \h 12References PAGEREF _Toc69510321 \h 14
Introduction
Like many other types of health, sexual health is one that should be valued and maintained to ensure well-being. Sexual health has often been defined as the state of physical, mental, emotional and social well-being related to sexuality and not just the absence of any disease, dysfunctions or infirmity (WHO, 2006). Further, sexual health promotion is the act or process of enabling individuals to gain more control over their sexual health, based on their abilities and needs.
Promoting sexual health is extremely important and programs should be implemented to ensure that individuals can maintain good sexual health. By promoting sexual health, individuals learn and understand how to maintain good sexual health, which can reduce risks of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), HIV and unplanned or unwanted pregnancies. However, it is not only limited to this, as promoting sexual health can have positive effects on other aspects of an individual’s health, such as better emotional, mental and physical well-being through maintaining good sexual health.
This essay will look into Female Genitalia Mutilation (FGM), and the various factors surrounding this sexual health issue and why it is practiced. The essay will explore the issue on a broader scale, to find the biggest reasons as to why this is still practiced in some places around the world. FGM has been practiced mainly in regions across Africa, along with countries in the Middle-East and Asia. Some cases of FGM are found in western regions as well, such as the UK, Canada and US, however, these are extremely few cases and are often dealt with harsh punishments. Mostly the western countries, along with more developed countries around the world, have made the process of FGM illegal, meaning that any individuals that try to conduct FGM on children will be subject to jail time. On a global scale, trends of performing FGM is seen to be going downwards, however, it is still highly prevalent in some regions across the world.
The essay will cover FGM and the various factors surrounding FGM in regards to sexual health promotion and other interventions. A critical analysis of how issues related to FGM are being promoted through the use of interventions and programs will be included. Following this, the role of cultures and the impact of frameworks will be assessed in regards to sexual health and FGM.
Background
Sexual Health and Sexual Health Promotion
Sexual health is defined as a state of well-being of a person in physical, emotional, medical and social aspects in relation to sexuality. It is not simply the absence of disease or infirmities and requires a careful and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relationships, including the potential for pleasurable and safe sexual experiences, without any form of coercion, discrimination or violence. Additionally, the sexual rights of every individual should be respected and protected in order to maintain good sexual health (WHO, 2006). Sexual health promotion is the act of promoting various aspects of sexual health through programmes or other initiatives that encourage individuals to be open about various parts of their sexuality, essentially working towards normalizing the topic about sexual health, which will encourage individuals to talk about their sexual health and possibly improve it.
Other than the obvious benefit of lowering risks of STDs and unplanned pregnancies, sexual health promotion is seen to have an effect on academic performance and professional success, improving mental and emotional health, preventing sexual abuse and intimate partner abuse, bullying and contributes towards developing healthier relationships (Lottes, 2013). Through these various benefits of improved sexual health, it becomes evident that good sexual health can lead to an array of improvements in an individual’s state of mind and body, which essentially improves their overall well-being.
FGM and its Impact
The main focus of this essay is around the sexual health issue of FGM or Female Genitalia Mutilation, which is essentially the removal of a part of or all of the female genitalia for reasons other than medical and health. As seen by the definition of sexual health, any forms of violence and coercion are seen as breaching sexual rights. Further, sexual rights of individuals should be respected a protected and any act which breaches this can be considered a violation against an individual’s sexual rights. In this case, the entire process of FGM can be seen to be violating the definitions of an individual’s sexual health, in regards to violence, coercion and having a respectful approach towards sexuality and sexual health (Williams-Breault, 2018).
The overall issue of FGM is pretty large, as there are about 200 million girls around the world today that have undergone FGM, with 3 million more girls being at risk of this procedure every year. This is prevalent in a few specific countries, where more than 65% of women between the ages of 15-49 have undergone FGM on average (WHO, 2020). In Guinea, 96.8% of women between this age group have gone through FGM. This is followed by Egypt with 87.2%, Sudan with 86.6%, Sierra Leone with 86.1% and so on (World Development Indicators, 2019).
This is a health concern, as women who undergo FGM experience various long-term health consequences, which can include cysts, abscesses, scarring, tissue damages, infertility, higher risk of infections, among other things. Further, women with FGM are susceptible to difficulties and pain during menstruation, when they urinate and during sexual intercourse (Biglu et al., 2016). Linking this back to the definition of sexual health, it is once again evident that the process of FGM violates multiple aspects of an individual’s rights to sexual health.
FGM was chosen as the sexual health issue as it is still prevalent in many parts of world, with many women sufferings from this process and having to endure various health risks in the long-term. The process of FGM has no medically proven benefits, which further raises the question of its practice in many countries. The main reason behind why it can be considered a significant public health challenge is due to the fact that FGM is a process that is not natural, meaning that it is a process that is done to another individual, with or without their consent, based on other aspects such as cultural and social norms. Most public health challenges deal with issues and health challenges that occur naturally due to a variety of factors, however, as FGM is not a natural process, it should be considered a public health challenge. Further, health promotion deals with improving the overall health of the population and educating individuals on what is good health and how to maintain good health (Odo et al., 2020). As FGM is a process that results in long-term health consequences for the females that go through it, there is an evident link between health promotion practices and FGM. Essentially health promotion would relate towards initiatives and programmes that end practices such as FGM.
The FGM health issue is relatively large, as millions of women around the world suffer from this health risk. On a global scale, it may seem relatively small, however, it should be noted that in specific countries, a vast majority of the population are subjected to this procedure. The population that is targeted are most often women between the ages of 15-49, and this is mainly due to cultural reasons, such as some cultures around the world integrating FGM as part of their lives, or social reasons, where women living in countries where a majority of other women who have undergone FGM, feel pressured to go through the same procedure to avoid social stigma.
Discussion
FGM on an International Perspective and its Motivations
Looking at FGM practices from an international perspective, it is mostly condemned and banned from being practices in a large number of countries worldwide, and the awareness of its adverse effects are known. However, in the countries that do practice FGM, it is important to note that this practice is deeply embedded into their cultures. It often holds cultural as well as religious values for the individuals or groups of individuals that practice it. In some places, it is considered a rite of passage for girls, representing a girl’s transition to womanhood and a key step towards marriage and motherhood. Further, in the places where a majority of women have undergone FGM, parents are influenced by social norms and the expectations of those around them and their community, and believe that the process of FGM can provide social and economic security for their daughters through being accepted into society (Clark, 2018). This can be equated to being the same as parents and other females fearing becoming a potential outcast and being shunned from their communities that they ignore their own physical and emotional well-being and ...