Earlier this month on 6 February, the global humanitarian community celebrated International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Officially established by the United Nations General Assembly, the day promotes awareness of the practice of FGM and lobbies for its total elimination. Aimed at ending FGM within a decade, education and legislation on the issue have seen marked successes across Africa, the Middle East and Indonesia. Despite increasing support for reform within FGM practicing countries, resistance to change remains entrenched. FGM is a key cultural practice among certain ethnic groups, certifying for many a woman’s societal and marital value. Myths about its medical benefits also prove difficult to dislodge. As a result, 200 million girls worldwide are estimated to live as victims of FGM, with up to three million girls in Africa alone at risk of cutting this year (WHO figure).
FGM is indeed most prevalent in Africa, with around 27 countries on the continent counting incidences of genital cutting. Spread across West, Central, East and North-East Africa, FGM occurs across a diverse range of regions and cultures. Mali, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia have some of the highest rates of female genital cutting among women aged 15 to 49. However, there are distinct variations between the types of genital mutilation in practice. 90% of cases involve clitoridectomy, the total or partial removal of the clitoris and/or labia. Some cultures practice a type of ceremonial cutting that does not remove flesh, but leaves a scar bearing witness to the girl’s circumcised status. The worst (in terms of physical damage) form of FGM is infibulation, whereby the labia is cut away and the vaginal orifice is sewn or fused shut. All procedures are almost exclusively conducted in unsanitary conditions and without anaesthetic. None have any medical benefit and indeed often contribute to severe infection, infertility and death.
Anti-FGM programs are run by numerous leading NGOs, including UNICEF, the World Health Organization, Amnesty International and Save the Children. Amnesty partners with communities in West Africa, supporting local NGOs in their mission to educate on the trauma caused by FGM. Supporting local women in Burkina Faso, a major achievement has been to engage with traditional community elders, altering the attitudes of those principally responsible for sustaining the patriarchal system that underpins FGM. It is then possible to openly educate women and girls about the dangers posed by a practice that many consider crucial in gaining societal acceptance. A broader mission, to educate girls on the whole spectrum of their rights, is also vital in reshaping cultural attitudes to FGM. However, where economic necessity supports the continuation of the practice, a holistic approach to change is required. With this in mind, Save the Children has been assisting practitioners of FGM to turn to alternative employment, staving off poverty for those left without an occupation.
The key to these programs is the spectrum of stakeholders being engaged: from victims, to practitioners, community elders to national governments. Imposing an edict from afar cannot hope to catalyze lasting change. Those responsible for ultimately ending the abuse of young girls in the developing world are its current and future inhabitants, in particular the new youth generation rising up. Gillian Mellsop, UNICEF Representative to Ethiopia surmises that for FGM to be eliminated by 2030, “we need to work at grass roots level, at scale and hand in hand with communities,” whilst also providing post-FGM medical and psychological support to survivors. It is crucial that this process originates from within the developing world, in order to mitigate against accusations of cultural relativism and human rights imperialism.
