Tanzania universities add course in female genital mutilation to fight the practice

Three Tanzanian universities are offering a new course on female genital mutilation (FGM) to train health care professionals how to deal with victims of the harmful practice that is still widespread although illegal, Thomson Reuters Foundation reports.

The course will be taught at the University of Dodoma, Muhimbili University of Heath and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) and the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC), making Tanzania only the second country in Africa to offer such training after Ghana.

FGM affects an estimated 140 million girls and women in parts of Africa Photo: Reuters

FGM, involves the total or partial removal of the external female genitalia. According to Thomson Reuters Foundation, the practice “has been illegal in the east African nation since 1998 but the law is poorly enforced and thousands of girls are affected every year”.

More than 7.9 million girls and women in Tanzania are reported to have undergone FGM which causes numerous health problems.

The courses contains topics such as the origin of FGM and its health complications and how to manage and counsel girls and women with physical, psychological and sexual complications.

FGM affects an estimated 140 million girls and women across a swathe of Africa and parts of the Middle East and Asia, seen by many families as a gateway to marriage and way to preserve a girl’s virginity, Thomson Reuters Foundation reports.

Despite calls by activists for a systemic cultural shift to end FGM, traditional chiefs in parts of Malawi have confirmed that the practice remains prevalent and it is practiced quietly

President of the Gambia, Yahya Jammeh, recently announced that FGM would be outlawed in the country to protect young girls.

Source: Thomson Reuters Foundation