While Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) has been declared illegal in some African countries, it still persists. Patrick Egwu in Nigeria, Annie Njanja in Kenya and Mamadou Lamine Ba in Senegal explored what was being done in their countries to stop this age-old discriminatory practice.
‘Why did they cut you when you didn’t pose a threat to anyone? Why did they deny me sexual pleasure by getting rid of you?’
A 37-year-old Ugandan born woman has been convicted of mutilating her three-year-old daughter. She is the first person to be convicted, despite other female genital mutilation prosecutions having been brought to court in the UK. Those cases all ended in acquittals due to the lack of sufficient evidence.
Efforts to end female genital mutilation are mostly designed by global and national agencies and risk ignoring change agents like the youth who are against the practice.
A study by the Reproductive, Educative and Community Health Programme (REACH) has shown that traditionalists in Uganda have now shifted to circumcising married women with the consent of their families, causing the prevalence of FGM to rise drastically in older women.
Justice for Deeqa: 10-year-old Deeqa Dahir Nuur died two days after a female genital mutilation procedure in central Somalia. Her death has prompted the first FGM prosecution in Somalia’s history
Efforts to discourage girls from being cut in Tanzania have changed the cultural meaning and practices around the ceremonial rite of passage.
The Ministry of Religious Affairs in Somaliland has issued a fatwa, or religious edict, banning female genital mutilation. This is preparing the region for the passing of legislation that will finally outlaw the practice altogether.
Culture may constantly be influx but certain practices such as Female Genital Mutilation are so high-risk, its abolition must be prompt. “With the dignity, health and well-being of millions of girls at stake, there is no time to waste. Together, we can and must end this harmful practice.” — UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
A female Kenyan doctor is pushing for the lifting of the ban on the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM). She claims the ban is unconstitutional and discriminates against ‘national heritage’. Women’s rights activists are up in arms. The question that is raised is this: Is advocacy for women rights about allowing women to dictate their own choices, or does such advocacy extend to preventing those who wish to harm themselves from doing so?
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