We Don’t Talk About It

A groundbreaking report on worldwide female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) was released by UNICEF last month, revealing new data that brings the international effort to eradicate FGM/C a step closer to reaching its goal. Now, we have a clearer picture of where it is most prevalent and (perhaps more importantly) why it is so common in these parts of the world.

“This report is the most comprehensive compilation of statistics and data analysis on FGM/C to date,” said UNICEF Statistics and Monitoring Specialist Claudia Cappa. “It’s extremely important because it illustrates, for the first time, what we know about how widespread is the practice is, the attitudes surrounding the practice and the reasons why this practice is continued. It’s also the first report that includes data for countries like Iraq for which we didn’t have national figures.”

In all cultures, there are certain societal practices that its members come to deem acceptable over time. For nearly 30 countries in Africa, FGM/C is one such practice— and there are centuries of tradition and more than 125 million women who have been cut to back up that fact. However, world health officials were recently surprised to learn of the resistance growing at a rapid rate amongst these cultures. More men and women than ever before are refusing to let tradition be an excuse for subjecting a woman’s body to the physical and psychological toll of mutilation. According to the report, “prevalence has dropped by as much as almost half among adolescent girls in Benin, the Central African Republic, Iraq, Liberia and Nigeria.”

One 10-year-old girl named Kheiriya Abidi from Boorama town, North-West Somalia, made a personal decision to not undergo cutting. Her story was elaborated in an article on the UNICEF website where she discussed her fear of blood and the pain she would experience were she to give in to the urging of her peers. Despite the societal pressures, Kheiriya remains an outspoken advocate for eradicating FGM/C.

UNICEF Senior Child Protection Specialist Francesca Moneti gives us a good idea of the confusion that exists for many mothers living in these cultures:

“I do what I do because I know that you expect me to do it, and vice versa... So, I may not support cutting, and you may not support it, but I see you cutting your girl, and you see me cutting my girl, and you think I support it because you see me cutting my girl – but we don’t talk.”  

Based on what the world now knows about the prevalence, and reasons for the prevalence, of FGM/C, I believe the struggle for the international community in the coming years will be to shift the movement’s primary focus from educating to advocating. According to Moneti, “you have to make visible the fact that people in their private sphere don’t support the practice.” We can make this happen by encouraging the members of these communities to be outspoken in their opposition to FGM/C and seek out ways to foster honest public discussions about it.

In countries like Somalia, Guinea, Djibouti, and Egypt (where instances of FGM/C are in the 90th percentile) more people like Kheiriya are needed to serve as advocates of this evolving attitude. Only then can we reveal FGM/C for what it really is: an extremely unsafe, even deadly, practice that is no longer deemed acceptable by society.

By Sabrina Willard

Can Fatwas Stop FGM/C?

According to the WHO (World Health Organization), FGM/C (female genital mutilation/cutting) includes all procedures and practices that intentionally alter or injure female genital organs for non-medical reasons. It is mostly carried out on young girls between infancy and the age of 15 – normally by untrained midwifes without anesthetic, using unsterile cutting devices. Approximately 140 million girls and women worldwide live with the consequences of FGM/C and an estimated number of three million girls in Africa are at risk of undergoing the procedure each year. Every form of FGM/C harms women and girls physically as well as mentally. Consequences can include excessive bleeding that in some cases even leads to death, problems urinating, childbirth complications and stillbirths, serious infections, pain and fear during intercourse, feelings of oppression and depression, among many others. How can this severe human rights violation be stopped?

Recently, I have noticed that there seems to be a trend to end the harmful traditional practice FGM/C by obtaining fatwas from religious leaders of Islam. Putting an end to a custom that is part of an ancient culture, but often justified by the religion, raises the question whether fatwas are an effective tool for changing the underlying attitudes that have developed over the past 5,000 years. Can religious fatwas really stop FGM/C and change a cultural tradition at its roots?

To begin with, a fatwa is a groundbreaking legal edict in the faith of Islam that can be pronounced and issued by an Islamic scholar (e.g. Imam, Mufti, Sheik) after being discussed with other scholars. Whether a fatwa is legally binding or not depends on the religious tradition such as Sunni or Shi'a Muslims. In order to answer the question of whether fatwas can stop FGM/C, it is important to keep in mind that FGM/C is an ancient custom that has already been practiced long before the arrival of Christianity as well as Islam. However, now the custom is mainly carried out in African countries around the Sahel zone and emigrants from these countries have also brought their traditions to Europe, the U.S. and other countries. Even though the FGM/C is also practiced by Christians, the majority is Muslim and in many cases they erroneously use the religion of Islam as a justification for this cultural tradition.

FGM/C is practiced by specific ethnic groups and tribes rather than by citizens of a whole country. Not only in remote rural areas, but also in bigger urban centers, girls undergo this procedure and the tradition is prevalent. The traditional practice often constitutes a taboo and therefore is shrouded in silence that needs to be broken. Moreover, due to the lack of education and discourse, even the decision-makers and opinion leaders of specific groups are often unaware of the negative consequences and the harm the excision of female genitals causes for women and thus for the whole community. FGM/C is an accepted and required social behavior which is justified by a fatal system of beliefs that include: uncircumcised women are unclean, will not find a husband and have a bad life; women’s genitalia grow uncontrollably if they’re not cut off; it is a religious requirement; it is a necessary rite of passage to womanhood and it plays an essential part in raising a girl properly; only to mention a few.

As FGM/C is practiced by many Muslims who expect it to be a religious requirement in Islam, there has been a growing number of influential and high-ranking Muslim scholars  that have taken a public stance on the issue. Remarkably, there was an international  conference in which Islamic scholars, scientists, specialist researchers, medical doctors and activists of NGOs from around the world participated in order to take responsibility and discuss the inviolability of the female body as well as a ban of female excision in Islam. The conference took place on 22/23 November 2006 under the patronage of Prof Ali Gomaa, Grand Mufti of Egypt, and was hosted at the university of al-Azhar in Cairo, the intellectual center of Sunni Islam. After hearing speakers from across the different fields, the participants of the conference unanimously concluded that “the mutilation practiced in some parts of Egypt, Africa and elsewhere today represents a deplorable custom which finds no justification in the authoritative sources of Islam, the Qur’an and the practice of the Prophet Muhammad.” This historic conclusion was also written down in a fatwa.

The participants of the conference emphasized that the Prophet Muhammad never subjected any of his own daughters to excision and that the prohibition of inflicting harm on any human being is a key principle in Islam. Thus, the practice of FGM/C is a crime that violates the highest values of Islam and is consequently forbidden today. Furthermore, men and women are equal in terms of the human spirit they share. In the eyes of God, men and women are to be treated the same way regarding social responsibilities, education, finances, property and all other religious obligations. However, due to the harm female excision causes, it cannot be compared to male circumcision and therefore needs to be stopped. Islam honors women deeply and guarantees their physical and mental protection. Besides, both genders are equal as they complement each other – regardless of all natural differences, men and women are the honored creation of God.

With the conference at al-Azhar, Islam has proven to be a religion of learning that is able to adapt to changes in the world and develop further according to the current knowledge in science. The participants of the conference call upon Muslims around the world to put an end to this ancient custom and speak up wherever it is practiced. Additionally, they further request regional and international organizations as well as institutions, governments and the media to work towards the elimination of FGM/C, and to educate people about medical principles as well the negative effects the practice has on the health of women and society in general.

The practice of FGM/C shows the complex interplay between cultural traditions and religion. As religious leaders often have the last word, fatwas are a useful tool for supporting awareness campaigns of organizations and individuals towards putting an end to the custom. Yet, fatwas alone are unlikely to stop FGM/C as they only work against the symptoms, but not the roots of the cultural tradition that is derived from the myth of female chastity and purity. Fatwas are good to start with, but it will take more to change a culture at its roots that predates the rise of Islam as a religion.

Finally, more work needs to be done towards breaking patriarchal structures and common internalized misconceptions. Therefore, it is crucial to put all our efforts into the empowerment and education of especially women and children. This will change the consciousness of groups that still practice the tradition FGM/C today, and it will automatically stop them from doing so in the future. In the end, the last decision of rejecting the traditional practice, and thus changing prevalent social beliefs, has to come from the people itself and cannot be forced from the outside through rules or laws.

By Nicole Staiger

Sources and further information:

http://www.ali-gomaa.com/?page=scholary-output&so_details=22

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs241/en/

http://www.violenceisnotourculture.org/content/fatwas-against-fgm-mauritania-and-niger

http://www.unfpa.org/gender/practices2.htm#

http://www.desertflowerfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/Prevalence-of-FGM-and-Legal-Situation.pdf

By Nicole Staiger

A commendable beginning, but a sad continuation

June 2011 marked a hallmark in Iraq’s Kurdistan. In a conservative society, even by Middle Eastern standards, the passage of legislation to criminalize female genital mutilation is certainly a great deal. Besides criminalizing and penalizing FGM, the statute also penalizes physical, sexual and psychological assault committed within the family and creates conditions for the protection of victims and mandates the establishment of specialised courts.

Why was this welcome? Because Kurdistan was a thriving hotbed of criminal conduct against women. A German NGO published a report in 2010, based on interviews with 1,700 women in the region. The report revealed that 72.7% of women in the region’s two biggest provinces of Arbil and Sulaimaniyah were victims of female genital mutilation, with the rate rising to almost 100 per cent in some areas. The practice had a lot to do with illiteracy. In this background, having legislation outlaw, criminalize and penalize the practice is commendable. The first step is to recognize an issue and actually speak about it, to admit the truth. By not recognizing the occurrence of a crime, a society is both complicit and abetting of the commission of the crime. The next step is to manifest action, for all truth is actionable.

And that is where the flaws have crept in. A law is nothing without implementation. The aim of a legal instrument is not to remain a paper tiger, but rather, an instrument that would engineer change in society. But to confine a piece of legislation to verbal discourse, stultified in stagnation in practice, would be a derisive mockery of the institution of justice. The hurdles are plentiful – from the need for new courts to creation of awareness at the grass-root level. To rise above the challenges would be worth every effort, for the greater cause that is being pursued is the fact that should be considered. 

by Kirthi Gita Jayakumar

Female Genital Mutilation: The evil that still reigns

Getting to know Female Genitalia Mutilation and Cutting

22h25, Monday, February 06th, 2012. A baby girl just took her first deep breath into this world. She will probably grow up to a healthy life and a prominent career. She will share many smiles, love and be loved. As we think of her, our mind is flooded with opportunities and probabilities. She is presumed to be safe, protected by her family in order to reach up to her maximum potential. Sadly, in some cases, presumptions are not to be met.

All societies have common rules of behavior, may them be related to gender, age, social status and so on. A shared grounding facilitates the community to live together and further, it gives its citizens a sense of belonging.  Though, some of those norms of conduct might be harmful on the people that society is trying to protect or beneficiate in the first place (i.e.: son preference, dowry, child marriage). Such traditional practices, in spite of the detriment on human life, go beyond generations and even, in some cases, grow stronger in today’s world.

Understanding the problem

For decades, the international community has been fighting one of these traditional practices putting at risk the life (or its quality) of that baby girl born only a few minutes ago. Female Genitalia Mutilation (FGM) is the partial or total removal of female genitalia. Although the World Health Organization (WHO) has established four types of FGM, cutting or any other injury caused for non-medical reasons are also considered as such.

FGM is commonly performed by a traditional practitioner who may use unhygienic instruments (such as sharp pieces of glass) and without anesthesia. The WHO has also recovered data where health care facilities are involved as well as qualified health personal (18% of all FGM). An approximate of 140 million girls and women are currently living with the consequences of FGM (WHO website).

According to the “Joint WHO/UNICEF/UNFPA Statement (on FGM)”, 1997, there are up to five different reasons for this practice to continue (see table on the side).  

Most girls between the ages of 4 to 12 undergo FGM; although in some cultures, it may be practice on newborns or as late as before marriage.

FGM has been linked to increased complications in childbirth and maternal deaths. Other health implications include cysts and abscesses, tetanus, severe pain, hemorrhage, infection, infertility, urinary incontinence, and psychological and sexual problems.

The origins of FGM rest unclear. This phenomenon reproduces around the globe. Commonly practiced in Africa (in 28 countries), Asia and the Middle East, it has spread around immigrants in the Americas and Europe. Some historians argue that it started in Egypt and the Nile Valley (Pietro Bembo). However, it has not been entirely proved. When it comes to FGM, specialists suggest that the practice is easily copied among neighboring communities, making difficult to track down its origins.

The Population Reference Bureau (PRB) published a report (2010) that holds that 10 of the 27 African countries under study have no specific national law against FGM in any form. According to the Desert Flower Foundation, countries, such as Liberia, Mali and Mauretania, where the incidence is higher (50%, 91% and 71% respectively) do not have any regulation on FGM. However, legal implementation has not discouraged its practice. The 2005 Egypt Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS)’s results show that 96% of ever-married women (between the ages of 15-49) had been circumcised. Out of this 96%, the survey exhibits, 58% women perceive FGM as rational and 82% of them agreed on the continuation of this practice. (See, 2009, The Population Council report: “Toward FGM-Free Villages in Egypt”.)

Estimations state that 66000 women with FGM were living in England and Wales in 2001. As this statics were sought to grow, further legislation and education programs have taken place (to prevent future children to undergo this practice). (See, 2009, London Safeguarding Children Board report: “London FGM Resource Pack”)

Human rights violations

Up to this point, it is clear that FGM affects women, girls and non-born children worldwide. The United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA) has stated that FGM endangers the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), especially concerning the following goals:

• Eradicating poverty.- poverty is not only defined as income resources; it also includes: lack of opportunity and depravation of fundamental rights by the violation of a person’s integrity, both physical and psychological.
• Achieving universal primary education.- education might be compromised by the consequences of FGM (lack of attention and concentration) determining a large number of drop outs due to poor performance.
• Achieving gender equality.- this one is the core concern on the international community and women groups. Discrimination in any way should be banned from social interaction. Further, women represent the 50% of the population. (According to the CIA Factbook, (est. 2012), there is a 1.01 male/female correlation of the total population, at birth the ratio is 1.07 male/female.)
  • • • Leaving them out of the equation for development would be (as it is) a gigantic mistake. The consequences that FGM have on them diminish their self beings as individuals and as a collective power.
  
  
• Reducing child mortality.- evidence shows that neonatal death occurs during childbirth as a consequence of FGM. Also, a number of female infants, children, and adolescents do not survive the practice.
• Improving maternal health.- FGM makes childbirth excruciatingly painful and also extremely dangerous (among others, it prolongs labour, obstructs the birth canal, and often causes perianal tears).
• Combating HIV/AIDS.- there is a higher vulnerability to HIV/AIDS among girls who have undergone the procedure because of bleeding and the use of shared and non sterilised instruments.

As for human rights violations, FGM attempts against the right to life, health, integrity, sexuality, decision (free will), non-discrimination, and gender equality, to name the most obvious. The United Nations (UN) Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women (A/RES/48/104; 1993; Art. 4) picked up what was earlier stated by the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action (VDPA): “[Nations] should not invoke any custom, tradition, or religious consideration to avoid their obligation to eliminate violence against women, and that they must exhibit due diligence in investigating and imposing penalties for violence and establishing effective protective measures.”

The future

I have had several talks with women around the globe about this subject. I have shown them the stories I have come up with, the data and the estimations. They all agree on the fact that this practice is terrible, inhuman and should be stopped. None of the women I have talked with have undergone any type of FGM and they all remain skeptical about its end. Among the stories told on the news, foundations and NGO’s, most women decided to stop FGM with them by not forcing their children to go through the same experience; some of them have started a revolution on immigration policies when asking for asylum in a third country either to escape from FGM or to prevent it from their children. Nonetheless, there are several women who had to deal with the consequences (both physical and psychological) of the procedure and yet considered (and even subjected) it for their daughters.

In my opinion, the work still to be done in this ground is large and ad-hoc. The organizations involved on the eradication of this practice have to tailor-suit their prevention programs to the local’s culture. The aim: to break the community’s mind-set about FGM. The transformation will most likely occur after that. As an example, take the women in the village of Pata, Senegal where teenage mothers from 69 communities in Kolda announced their decision to stop cutting and do not allow their children to endure this tradition. This is a very promising path considering that in this country, 88% of women are subjected to this practice in rural areas. (In urban areas, the percentage drops to 20%, according to the UNICEF).

By Katherine R Vasquez Tarazona

Female circumcision: Edirin's Story

Little Edirin was excited. It was a holiday today, and she was getting to visit her grandmother. Edirin had plans already- she would wear her new denim pants, she would play with her grandmother, she would eat delicious fish, crafted with her grandmother’s amazing culinary abilities.

Just as Edirin entered her grandmother’s house, her excitement grew, happiness abounding in her heart as it swelled with joy. The capricious abandon of her young age and the marvellous treat that a child’s grandparents bring to her were enough to suffuse little Edirin with the resplendence of joy.

One evening during these holidays, Edirin’s grandmother asked her to go with her to a party. Just perfect, thought Edirin, I can wear my Jeans! As Edirin dressed up and went out, she saw the frown that creased her grandmother’s face. She doesn’t like it, thought Edirin, but that’s okay, what does Grammy know about Jeans?

When Edirin went to the house where her grandmother said the party was, it surprised her. There were dirty stools, and a few people sat on them. What party is this, Grammy, Edirin asked her grandmother. Everyone suddenly stared at little Edirin, but no one answered her. Just as Edirin decided she would speak to the reedy little girl sitting beside her, a blood curdling scream shook her, covering her with a sheet of ice. This is no party, Edirin thought. Every nerve in her body told her to run, to escape and to get away from there. She ran to the door, but huge men appeared out of nowhere and stopped her.

Cornered in a world where she didn’t know anything comforting, Edirin began to cry. Why am I here? What is going on? Why is Grammy keeping me here? Edirin looked at Grammy, hoping to catch her eye. But Grammy didn’t look at her. Edirin cried out through her sobs- promising she would be a good girl, saying that she was afraid, pleading that she wanted to go back home. But no one heard her.

A sallow woman came out of a room and looked at Edirin. You’re next, she said. Suddenly, Edirin was taken into the room. People forced her out of her clothes. She struggled, fought back, refused to let them take her clothes off. But what is a twelve year old girl against a group of grown-ups? Edirin was forced to the ground. She felt shamed and humiliated. One man held her legs, as another man sat on her chest holding her right hand, as another man held out her left hand. Edirin suddenly saw a flash of metal and noticed a knife. Before she knew it, a sudden sharp pain began down below. The knife pried her, cutting her, leaving her raw and wounded. Edirin felt raw pain as she bled. It was eventually over, but Edirin was broken, scarred for life. She wasn’t given a thing for the pain, nor a thing to clean her wound up.

She mustered the strength in her last sinew and walked out. The sight of her jeans with all the blood stains on it sickened her. Her grandmother smiled at her, but Edirin felt the burn of the wound that she had inflicted. Congratulations, Edirin, You are now a Woman, glowed her grandmother. Edirin went home to a grand jubilation. She was fed the best fish made by her grandmother. But the bitter taste of pain and betrayal remained in her mouth all the time.

Years later, Edirin carried the pain with her, still smarting under the emotional wounds she was delivered that day. For years, she couldn’t help but feel violated and betrayed. Her grandmother deceived her, and failed to protect her. Edirin never forgot the humiliation she felt as the men looked on while she was subjected to the ordeal. When Edirin goes to a gynaecologist, she wears a cloak of embarrassment, explaining why she looks different. The day she went through her sordid ordeal, they took something from Edirin, leaving her with a gaping void.