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Revision as of 11:17, 5 April 2004
Genital modification is a term used for various types of body modifications that involve the genitals. Many believe these modifications constitute mutilation and call them genital mutilation.
Types of genital modification:
Issues surrounding genital modification became prominent in the English-speaking world in the latter quarter of the 20th century, when opponents of female circumcision, often called "female genital mutilation (FGM)" made Westerners aware of the practice in African and Muslim countries. In most cases, female circumcision is a social practice, not a religious one. Opposition to male genital modification, mostly in the form of circumcision, has also grown during the same time, especially in countries without a tradition of those types of procedures. See intactivism.
In most cases ritual genital modification is performed involuntarily on infants or children. Sometimes genital modification is used as punishment for rape, adultery or other socially forbidden sexual practices. Some societies have historically engaged in castration or penectomy, although this is rare in the modern world. In some cases, people elect to have parts of their genitals cut off or impaled with spikes or rings. See BDSM and body piercing.
External links
- "US also practices genital mutilation" - editorial by opponent of male circumcision
- Dmoz Genital Mutilation