FGM

Despite a 1995 ministerial decree forbade the practice of Female Genital Mutilation and made it punishable by fine and imprisonment the figures remain shocking. It is one of the most pervasive and silently endured human rights violations. It has a reflective influence on a girl-child’s development throughout her life. This procedure is carried to retain women "pure," marriageable and incapable of enjoying sex. The procedure is usually performed on girls between the age of 4 to 12 years, prior to the onset of puberty.  However, the procedure may be carried out shortly after birth to some time before the age of marriage.

Female genital mutilation is the damage and removal of normal genital tissue for non-medical reasons.  It is harmful to both girls and women and has no known health benefits. The consequences range from acute severe pain and mental trauma to long-term consequences, which lead to increased maternal and neonatal mortality.  There are variety of cultural and religious reasons reported for female genital mutilation, however, FGM is not based on any confirmed religious belief.

A series of later ministerial decrees allowed certain forms but prohibited others. Doctors were prohibited from performing the procedure in government health facilities and non-medical practitioners were forbidden from practicing any form. In 1996, a ministerial decree prohibited all medical and non-medical practitioners from performing FGC in either public or private facilities, except for medical reasons certificated by the head of a hospital’s obstetric and gynecology department. Perpetrators can lose their medical license and be subjected to criminal punishment.  Egypt officially banned female genital mutilation in 2007

According to a campaigning organization “CAGeM” they surveyed girls and asked for reasons to support the practice and they answered that circumcision is an important religious tradition (33.4%), cleanliness for girls (18.9%), cultural and social tradition (17.9%) and chastity (15.9%). Of note, religious tradition is still the most important reason for performing FGM in Egypt, which agrees with the results obtained from Demographic and Health Surveys in Egypt in 2000 and 2003. In these surveys, 72% of ever-married women reported that circumcision is an important part of religious tradition and about two-thirds of the women had the impression that the husband prefers his wife to be circumcised.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) 94 percent of women in Egypt arrange for their daughters to undergo FGM, as it is the highest compared to the other Arab countries, as it’s only 76 percent in Yemen, 48 percent in Cote d’Ivoire and even in Kenya it’s only 46 percent.

“The Demographic and Health Survey in Egypt in 1995 reported that more than one-third of ever-married women cited cleanliness as a reason while a small number saw it as a way to prevent promiscuity before marriage. In some communities, some families refuse to accept women who have not undergone FGM as marriage partners. Other studies in Africa concluded that the most significant factors associated with the acceptance of FGM were religion, tradition and social pressure, as reported in Egypt and Sudan, while ethnicity was the most significant social predictor of FGM in Nigeria.  Also, and of note, sexuality was an important reason cited for this practice in some countries like Nigeria.” Said Nawal Ghatas, one of the women working for the CAGeM organisation.

CAGeM partners with established organizations in various communities around the world, encourage them to include FGM educational outreach in their programs, and supports these programs.  CAGeM also facilitates the formation of grassroots campaigns in FGM practicing communities; trains FGM practitioners on alternate careers, trains physicians on FGM repair surgery, and provide free treatment and surgery to FGM patients.  In addition CAGeM establishes safe houses for girls rescued from/escaping FGM.

As for the surveys that are conducted by the U.S.-based Macro International every 5-6 years that up to 91 percent of girls in Egypt between the ages of 15-49 have been circumcised when they were younger and could not protect themselves.

Even though this practice has been outlawed in Egypt in 1997 but no one has ever been prosecuted. It has been banned due to the psychological and physical violence against children, and how harmful and dangerous it is.

Written by Monica Elashy

Out of the four different types of operations the one that Egyptian girls undergo and is common in the rural areas is type three which is the removal of part or all of the external genitalia and stitching and/or narrowing of the vaginal opening leaving a small hole for urine and menstrual flow.

There are several reasons behind this big decision in a girl’s fate, which is religious requirement, preservation of virginity, better marriage prospects, the enhancement of male sexual pleasure, prevention of promiscuity, or good tradition.

"The importance given to virginity and an intact hymen in these societies is the reason why female circumcision still remains a very widespread practice despite a growing tendency, especially in urban Egypt, to do away with it as something outdated and harmful. Behind circumcision lies the belief that, by removing parts of girls' external genitals organs, sexual desire is minimized. " Said Nawal El-Saadawi, a Muslim victim of infibulation.

The reason behind banning female circumcision according to The Guardian was after the death of a 12-year-old girl in governorate Minya, in Upper Egypt, while undergoing the operation. 

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

Female Genital Museum

Over the past two weeks, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) has become a broad feature in the British media. As the founder of 28 Too Many Ann-Marie Wilson has successfully published an article in the Huffington Post on the number of children at risk of being subjected to FGM, The Independent has analysed what is known as ‘The UK’s Cutting Season’. Now that the British summer holidays are in full swing, around 25,000 girls are at risk of being subjected to FGM against their will. This year, Nigeria sponsored a resolution at the World Health Assembly to end FGM, yet the practice is still rampant across the country. As it is clear that FGM continues to be practiced worldwide, it is important to address what more could be done in countries like the UK and Nigeria, and how lessons can be learned from successful FGM intervention programs.

In the UK, laws exist to prevent the practice of FGM. The Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003 imposes penalties of up to 14 years in prison on those who practice FGM, and those who aid and abet occurrences of the crime. The 2003 act is an amendment of the previous 1985 act. Despite the act being introduced, not a single person has been prosecuted. It is clear that the act’s existence alone is not enough to prevent the crime from occurring, and that it is simply empty rhetoric in the battle against this atrocious crime. In order for any criminal act to be effective, the crime needs to be reported. As the practice of FGM is against children who are too young to have a voice, or too afraid to speak out, it is unlikely that they will step forward as victims. As the communities that practice FGM shroud the practice in secrecy, it is rare that anyone will speak out on the child’s behalf.. Until recently, FGM has continued to be an issue that is largely unheard of in the UK, with many leading politicians being unaware of what it involves, or even that it is practiced. In addition to this, the NHS does not offer reconstructive surgery to victims of the practice. Based on this, it is clear that the UK is failing to protect those who are at risk.

The UK’s failure to prevent FGM does not mean that the existence of legislation is always redundant. In France, over 100 prosecutions have been made, but there are stark differences between the way France approaches FGM, and the way the UK approaches it. It is believed that France’s successes are due to the annual health checks performed on young girls at risk across the country. These include a brief look at the external genitalia by a medical professional in specialised clinics until the age of six. Once the child begins attending school, these annual checks are continued by the school nurse. In addition to this, French campaigners have reported successfully placing injunctions on those who have been reported by family members for planning to mutilate their daughters. It could be argued that the tougher stance on those who have practiced FGM in France has acted as a deterrent. Alternatively, it could be that France’s determination to make the issue public raises enough awareness for communities to abandon the practice. A study by the University of Barcelona has demonstrated that France as a country have seen a reduction in the number of girls subjected to FGM. It could therefore be argued that the French’s determination to make FGM a public issue has created enough awareness to encourage communities to cessate the practice of it.

In contrast, the women of Nigeria have been subjected to the same horrors as those in the UK and France, but the practice of FGM is far more widespread, and harder to combat. It is estimated that in some areas, up to 56% of women have been subjected to FGM, while in others it is as low as 0.4%. In addition to this, experts believe that ‘official’ statistics are not a true reflection of those women who have not been reached by researchers, and therefore the real percentages may be higher. In a literature review conducted by the World Health Organisation (WHO), it was found that communities where interventions existed had seen a reduction in the practice of FGM. The WHO’s literature review focused on communities in Mali, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Nigeria, and Ethiopia. As well as finding that interventions in the form of educational sessions were effective, the WHO’s review detected barriers to making such interventions successful.. These barriers included a lack of financial compensation, as well as husbands refusing to grant their wives permission to attend educational sessions.

In order for FGM to be eradicated around the world, all countries need to take a unified and consistent stance. While legislation exists to protect women in countries like the UK, its existence alone is ineffective in preventing the crime. Human rights laws that focus on abuse and torture in Nigeria can be loosely interpreted to prosecute perpetrators of the crime, but areas where interventions do not exist witness an ever-increasing number of girls who are subjected to it. By establishing a sense of consistency, FGM can be universally wiped out.

So what is it that countries need to be consistent with? In addition to providing clear legislation, interventions and support for men and women who are interested in them are needed. Medical outreaches that focus on educating communities on the benefits of eradicating FGM should be expanded; this should focus on male members of the community, as well as female. By establishing a sense of unity against the issue across the world, practices such as taking children to other nations to undergo FGM can also be halted.

If you personally are interested in ending FGM, you can begin by writing to your local MP, congressman, or any other relevant governmental representative and ask them to do more to address the issue. The more our leaders are pushed to end the practice, the more likely it is they will do something about it. In addition to this, you can sign the following petitions to press world leaders to take a stand against FGM:
http://www.endfgm.eu/en/petition/ - Europe

http://www.petitiononline.com/fgm2003/petition.html - United States

http://forcechange.com/23321/prosecute-female-genital-mutilation-in-the-uk/ - United Kingdom

http://www.enditnow.org/petition-lightbox - International


By Laura Mckeever

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.