Graphic reproduction of genital stretching in a group of baganda girls: Their psychological experiences

Abstract

In 2002, Padua's Working Group on FGM organized a mission to southern Uganda to analyze the rite of labia minora elongation among the Baganda. This manipulation has been classified among the less common forms of FGM (type 4) by the WHO (1996). The practice occasionally occurs in West African populations, where it is referred to as hypertrophy of the labia minora. The psychological experiences of the rite were emphasized by the analysis of drawings and the comments on the rite, made by 111 schoolgirls, from 12 to 16 years old; all of the girls examined underwent genital stretching. The results highlighted two different groups of subjects: those who adhere to and those who criticize and are somewhat opposed to traditional stretching. These results are confirmed by comparison of the drawings of female circumcision made by Somali schoolgirls of the same ages, studied with the same methodology. © 2006 Springer.