International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation #EndFGM

“Female genital mutilation targets little girls, baby girls, fragile angels who are helpless, who cannot fight back. It’s a crime against a child, a crime against humanity. It’s abuse. It’s absolutely criminal and we have to stop it.”- Waris Dirie. In 2012, the United Nations General Assembly designated February 6 as the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation. The concept of female genital mutilation appears rather alien for most of us who live in the Western world; however, for millions of females this torture is their reality. The United Nations Population Fund states that there are approximately 30 countries which currently adhere to this form of human rights abuse. These include Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan, Togo, Zambia, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda. Additionally, certain ethnic groups in Asian countries practice FGM, including in communities in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. In the Middle East, the practice occurs in Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen, as well as in Iraq, Iran and the State of Palestine. In Eastern Europe, recent data shows that certain communities are practicing FGM in Georgia and the Russian Federation. In South America, certain communities are known to practice FGM in Columbia, Ecuador, Panama and Peru. Unfortunately, this barbaric procedure is being practiced in numerous countries across almost all continents. Female genital mutilation (FGM) comprises all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. Unite, Fund and Act against Female Genital Mutilation In his message to observe the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, the Secretary-General of the United Nations stated that over 200 million girls and women alive today have suffered from female genital mutilation, a horrific and harmful practice that can lead to physical, mental and sexual health complications. Regrettably, in 2021 more than 4 million girls are at risk. Female genital mutilation is a blatant manifestation of gender inequality that is deeply entrenched in social, economic and political structures. It is also a human rights violation and an extreme form of violence against girls. Fortunately, between 2000 and 2018, the prevalence of this practice has decreased by 25 per cent. The practice of FGM is mostly carried out by traditional circumcisers, who often play other central roles in communities, such as attending childbirths. A firsthand account of a 8 year girl from Guinea-Bissau “they took me into the bush and made me shut my eyes. The others held me down. I was in a lot of pain where they cut me.” Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a procedure where the female genitals are deliberately cut, injured or changed, but there's no medical reason for this to be done. It's also known as female circumcision or cutting, and by other terms, such as sunna, gudniin, halalays, tahur, megrez and khitan, among others. FGM is usually carried out on young girls between infancy and the age of 15, most commonly before puberty starts. Female Genital Mutilation like many of practices which discriminate against women is rooted in an ideology of patriarchy which results in gender inequality. Women in the countries where female genital mutilation occurs are voiceless and are seen as second hand citizens. Men in those societies control all spheres of life; both in the private and public domain. Sadly, religion is also used to instill obedience to traditional practices which are harmful and oftentimes fatal to women and girls. In many settings, health care providers perform FGM due to the belief that the procedure is safer when medicalized. This theory is dangerous; female genital mutilation should not be encouraged. The World Health Organization (WHO) strongly urges health care providers not to perform FGM. Female Genital Mutilation is recognized internationally as a violation of the human rights of girls and women. It reflects deep-rooted inequality between the sexes, and constitutes an extreme form of discrimination against women. It is nearly always carried out on minors and is a violation of the rights of children. The practice also violates a person's rights to health, security and physical integrity, the right to be free from torture and cruelty, inhumane or degrading treatment, and the right to life when the procedure results in death. FGM has no health benefits, and it harms girls and women in many ways. It involves removing and damaging healthy and normal female genital tissue, and interferes with the natural functions of girls' and women's bodies. The medical community is united in defining the clitoris as the pleasure and arousal zone of the female anatomy. It is believed that by forcing women to have genital mutilation it reduces the chances of a woman cheating on her partner as sex is no longer as pleasurable as it would be with an intact clitoris. Generally speaking, risks of FGM increase with increasing severity although all forms of FGM are associated with increased health risk. Immediate complications can include: severe pain, excessive bleeding (haemorrhage), genital tissue swelling, fever, infections e.g., tetanus, urinary problems, wound healing problems, injury to surrounding genital tissue, shock and death. Additionally long-term complications can include: urinary problems (painful urination, urinary tract infections); vaginal problems (discharge, itching, bacterial vaginosis and other infections); menstrual problems (painful menstruations, difficulty in passing menstrual blood, etc.); scar tissue and keloid; sexual problems (pain during intercourse, decreased satisfaction, etc.); increased risk of childbirth complications (difficult delivery, excessive bleeding, caesarean section, need to resuscitate the baby, etc.) and newborn deaths; need for later surgeries: for example, the sealing or narrowing of the vaginal opening (Type 3) may lead to the practice of cutting open the sealed vagina later to allow for sexual intercourse and childbirth (deinfibulation). Sometimes genital tissue is stitched again several times, including after childbirth, hence the woman goes through repeated opening and closing procedures, further increasing both immediate and long-term risks; psychological problems (depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and low self-esteem. A financial burden for countries The World Health Organization (WHO) has conducted a study of the economic costs of treating health complications of FGM and has found that the current costs for 27 countries where data were available totalled 1.4 billion USD during a one year period (2018). This amount is expected to rise to 2.3 billion in 30 years (2047) if FGM prevalence remains the same – corresponding to a 68% increase in the costs of inaction. However, if countries abandon FGM, these costs would decrease by 60% over the next 30 years. Interrogating Cultural Practices Although the practice has been around for more than a thousand years, there are reasons to believe that female genital mutilation could end in a single generation. We must also be mindful that the deadline established by the United Nations to eliminate FGM is merely 9 years away. There should be a sense of urgency to achieve this goal; that is why the United Nations strives for its full eradication by 2030, following Sustainable Development Goal #5 which speaks to gender equality. There needs to be an interrogation of traditional cultural practices in an effort to facilitate a framework of gender justice to protect women and girls. Oxfam defines gender justice as a human right; every woman and girl is entitled to live in dignity and in freedom, without any fear. Gender justice recognizes the role that state, legal and economic systems can play in perpetuating gender-based violence and oppression. The powers that be appear rather silent and complacent on the issue of female genital mutilation. The international outrage is muted and this is a cause for concern not only for those girls and women who have had to, or who will, endure this inhumane procedure, but for women everywhere. It is time for us to unlearn those cultural practices which are inhumane and are in clear violation of our human rights; female genital mutilation clearly falls in that category. Female genital mutilation is a form of gender-based violence and those who perpetuate these atrocities must be held accountable. The continuation of female genital mutilation in the 21st century is a scourge on humanity. In this dispensation of modernity there is no place for female genital mutilation. Undoubtedly, men and boys have a role to play in ending female genital mutilation. The same can be said about elders in villages who are important authority figures; we all can contribute in ensuring that by 2030 female genital mutilation is eradicated. There is need for a massive public education campaign not only to promote the negative effects of FGM; but to discourage circumcisers from observing this cultural practice. The international community needs to speak in unison guided by the theme: No Time for Global Inaction: Unite, Fund and Act to End Female Genital Mutilation. Female Genital Mutilation must be criminalized! The time to speak out is now! In the words of António Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations,together, we can eliminate female genital mutilation by 2030. Doing so will have a positive ripple effect on the health, education and economic advancement of girls and women. Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo #EndFGM ©