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Farsideology: The Fistula
From WikiIslam
A Fistula
10,000 women a year die during childbirth in Ethiopia, thousands of others suffer from horrific birth injuries. In Ethiopia the majority of women in rural areas give birth without access to medical care. If they experience complications during childbirth, or have an obstructed labour, they are unable to receive treatment. In Britain they would automatically receive a caesarian section but in Ethiopia these women will often be in labour for up to five days, eventually giving birth to a still-born baby and left with terrible injuries. The most common injury is a vesico-vaginal fistula, a hole in the wall of the vagina that leaves a woman permanently incontinent. This is not only extremely humiliating but has dire social consequences. Women with fistulas are ostracised by their family and friends, rejected by their husbands and forced to leave their jobs and homes. They literally become social outcasts. They do not just lose their baby, they lose everything.
Why is it so common?
The lack of effective healthcare facilities is not the only reason why fistulas are so common in Ethiopia. There are certain traditional practices that make life much harder for girls and women. Firstly there is the problem of early marriage. Girls as young as 4 or 5 are betrothed and intercourse often takes place before their teens. Their immature bodies are often not developed enough to cope with the rigours of childbirth. . . . source -- http://www.ethiopiaid.org.uk/fistula.htm
Kind Regards, Farside 
