Imagine a girl child, with little understanding of the world, herself, and her body, being forcibly mutilated in an irreparable way, by formerly trusted members of her community. The torture corresponding with female genital mutilation (FGM) will extend throughout her lifetime, continually violating her dignity, bodily integrity, and her human rights.
The practice of FGM unequivocally infringes upon “the right to non-discrimination on the grounds of sex; the right to life when the procedure results in death; the right to freedom from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; and the rights of the child. FGM is also a violation of a person’s right to the highest attainable standard of health, as it damages healthy genital tissue and can lead to severe consequences for girls’ and women's physical
and mental health,” (WHO).
Awareness is being raised and maintained worldwide concerning the realities of FGM, within the international forum of the United Nations and at the grassroots level. Thanks to the tireless dedication of girl child advocates and their organizations, this critical issue is beginning to receive the attention it requires to be effectively combatted.
Julia Lalla-Maharajh founded The Orchid Project in an effort to eliminate FGM. The President of WOW, Julie Rich, met Julia during the World Health Assembly (WHA) and asked her to speak to us on May 18 about her experiences fighting the practice of FGM.
She described a visit to Ethiopia, during which she viewed a man walking ahead of his unencumbered mule, while his wife trailed behind carrying a heavy load on her back. She said this was illustrative that, throughout the world, women are often treated as beasts of burden, without the right to self-determination. Without the ability to control their own bodies.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), FGM is typically inflicted on girls between infancy and age 15 and affects “An estimated 100 to 140 million girls and women worldwide.”
Types of female genital mutilation
Type I: partial or total removal of the clitoris and/or the prepuce (clitoridectomy).
Subgroups: type Ia, removal of the clitoral hood or prepuce only; type Ib, removal of
the clitoris with the prepuce. (WHO)
Type II: partial or total removal of the clitoris and the labia minora, with or without
excision of the labia majora (excision). Subgroups: type IIa, removal of the labia
minora only; type IIb, partial or total removal of the clitoris and labia minora; type IIc,
partial or total removal of the clitoris, labia minora and labia majora. (WHO)
Type III: narrowing of the vaginal orifice with creation of a covering seal by cutting
and appositioning the labia minora and/or the labia majora, with or without excision
of the clitoris (infibulation). Subgroups: type IIIa, removal and apposition of the labia
minora; type IIIb, removal and apposition of the labia majora. Reinfibulation is covered
under this definition. This is a procedure to recreate an infibulation, for example after
childbirth when defibulation is necessary. (WHO)
Type IV: unclassified – all other harmful procedures to the female genitalia for nonmedical
purposes, for example, pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterization. (WHO)
The practice is often done to insure virginity and fidelity. In fact, the procedure can determine the future marriageability of a woman in many communities.
Julia explained the social complexity of the issue. Even if a mother does not necessarily want to replicate the practice, there is a sense of obligation when a daughter’s future is culturally dependent on it. In communities where lack of education and opportunity prepare a woman for little more than dependency, a mother is placed in a difficult position.
“They further expect that if they do not respect the social rule, they will suffer social consequences such as derision, marginalization and loss of status,” (WHO).
Essentially, entire communities need to change their collective mindset and practice, in order to remove social pressure and stigma. Therefore, a top priority is human rights education within practicing communities.
According to Julia, progress has been made, with 5,300 communities having abandoned FGM.
An additional challenge to be combatted, however, is the medicalization of FGM.
“A recent analysis of existing data shows that more than 18 percent of all girls and women
who have been subjected to FGM in the countries from which data are available have
had the procedure performed on them by a health-care provider,” (WHO).
She pointed to countries such as Indonesia, whose health ministry recently released guidelines indicating how to appropriately practice FGM. Rather than being viewed as a step forward, advocates consider the medicalization of FGM an additional human rights violation of the girl child, contradictorily performed by those who are meant to ensure health and well being.
On May 23, I attended the WHA session that included the country progress reports on FGM within resolution WHA61.16, first adopted in 2008. In adherence to this resolution, all member states agreed to work towards eliminating FGM, including its practice by medical professionals.
Unfortunately the discussion, that lasted only a few minutes, was apparently not a priority many countries were willing to address.
Cape Verde spoke for the African countries. They claimed to have taken important measures and to have intervened at the community level. However, they explained that FGM remains a religious and social practice in some communities in Africa. This is greatly affected by migration within Africa. FGM must be combatted, they said, therefore long term investments must be made and progress must be accelerated. They also brought up the need to prepare more health staff to care for these victims.
Malaysia claimed that, while FGM can be labeled sexual abuse and gender discrimination, there are no such reported cases in Malaysia. However, the practice of "female circumcision" is often performed as an obligatory religious ritual, that includes a small nick on the clitoris. There is no evidence of injury to the woman during such practices, they claimed. They did not view this as a medical issue, or apparently, a human rights issue. The gravity of this human rights violation was conveniently hidden through the dilution of the language surrounding FGM. Type IV is as much a violation of bodily integrity as type III, and undoubtedly, where one is practiced the other is also.
Iraq acknowledged FGM as an important issue, yet they voiced their opinion that it does not correspond to Millennium Development Goal 3, dealing with gender equality. Apparently the fact that this mutilation is inflicted upon girls and not boys, in order to control their sexuality, is not a matter of inequality.
It seems to be up to the NGOs to keep this issue on the priority list of every country, since it was so pathetically addressed at this meeting. Advocates need to increase their efforts and make their voices heard, for the sake of girl children who cannot speak for themselves and for FGM survivors.
In an effort to do just that, a panel on FGM titled “Progress-Realities-Challenges” was held on June 1 during the Human Rights Council. The event was sponsored by the Inter-African Committee, Women’s UN Report Network, NGO Committee on the Status of Women, No Peace Without Justice, World YWCA, and the Worldwide Organization for Women, with which I am affiliated.
“How can people just sit by? Governments who do not take action should be questioned every day at the UN, they need to be held accountable,” said panelist Berhane Ras-Work, the executive director of the Inter-African Committee. “There should be a declaration of war against FGM.”
One challenge is that women’s sexuality is taboo in many countries, therefore these issues have little chance of being discussed, said Hon. Fatoumata Sire Diakite, the ambassadeur of Mali in Germany. Women’s sexuality must be de-stigmatized in order to enter dialogue concerning related issues.
As was portrayed in a photograph shown by Ms. Lois a. Herman, coordinator of WUNRN, girls are often taken into separate rooms within their elementary schools to undergo FGM. Settings such as home, school, and hospitals should be safe havens for girl children rather than centers of traumatic abuse.
Participants pointed to African countries that were allowing FGM to occur en masse, with thousands of girls to be mutilated on the same occasion. Panelists called for prohibitions at every level of government.
One recurring topic was the dismissal of the belief that FGM is an African problem. It is in fact practiced around the world. In addition, every society accepts harmful practices within their cultural norms, be it FGM, foot binding, plastic surgery, or any number of customs. To ignore this fact is to discriminate against one culture while conveniently overlooking the flaws inherent in another.
In fact, the situation in Africa is readily apparent only because they have taken the leading role in combatting FGM. Hence, there is much expertise to be accessed within the country regarding this issue. This needs to be recognized, said many panelists.
Dr. Tobe Levin von Vleichen pointed out that FGM is rooted in emotion, and the fear of social repercussions. Her company, UnCUT Voices Press aims to bring the voices of FGM survivors to the forefront of the dialogue.
Ms. Khady Koita’s work, Blood Stains, was recently published and dispersed in English speaking countries by UnCUT Voices Press. Founder of the European Network FGM, Koita discussed the need to create non-judgmental forums for girls to express themselves regarding the issue.
She and others were adamant about using the term FGM rather than Female Genital Cutting (FGC) which they feel diminishes the severity of the issue. “This is mutilation!” Koita affirmed.
Although FGM is receiving broad attention, it is not enough. The exchange of high minded words without concrete changes in practice is unacceptable. We must do what it takes to effectively eliminate FGM, and provide a healthy and empowered future for all girl children.
Works Cited
World Health Organization. (2010). Female genital mutilation fact sheet. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs241/en/
World Health Organization. (2010). Global Strategy to stop health-care providers from performing female genital mutilation. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/ reproductivehealth/publications/fgm/rhr_10_9/en/
Following our discussion with Julia Lalla-Maharajh, founder of The Orchid Project.
