Why so many girls still face the dangerous procedure of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
Over 200 million women and girls have experienced Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), and are having to contend with the consequences, per UNICEF.
The procedure, which is also known as cutting - involves the partial or complete removal of external female genitalia, or other injuries to female genital organs for non-medical purposes. According to the UNICEF report, over the next decade, 30 million more are at risk of mutilation.
Pictured below is Ifrah Ahmed, a Somali-Irish social activist. A victim of FGM, Ahmed has devoted her life to the eradication of the practice.
Credit: PA Images / Alamy
Where is FGM practised?
The World Health Organisation (WHO) states that FGM has no health benefits for girls or women, and it causes harm in many different ways.
FGM is practised all across the globe. Per recent reports, FGM is prevalent in communities around the globe. Females who have undergone FGM predominantly reside in the Arab States and sub-Saharan Africa. And it is concentrated in that same swathe of countries from the Atlantic Coast to the Horn of Africa.
However, it is also practised in other countries, including Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America, as well as diaspora populations throughout Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand, who come from areas where the practice is routine.
Why is FGM practiced?
In short, the most frequency cited reason behind FGM is social acceptance. In many of the countries where the practice is common, it is considered a deeply entrenched custom. It is indicative of the gender inequality within these regions, which can manifest in perpetuating violence against women and girls.
In many cases, it is also seen as a rite of passage into womanhood. Traditional practitioners - which tend to be women - are by and large elderly people in the community, who do not have any medical training. However, in certain areas, FGM is carried out by traditional health practitioners, herbalists, or female relatives.
Pictured below is anti-FGM campaigner Dr Leyla Hussein OBE.
Credit: PA Images / Alamy
This, of course, is intertwined with the stigma against women. FGM is perceived as a way to control, and even suppress female sexuality. As such, many communities practice FGM to perpetuate traditional gender structures, believing that the practice is a way to up a woman's marriage prospects, or secure family honour.
While, in some instances - it is associated with religion - per UNFPA, there are no scriptures that necessitate it.
What are the effects of FGM?
In the short term, it can cause intense pain, bleeding, and swelling. The later can impede the passing of urine or faeces. The long term risks can consist of chronic pelvic infections, urinary tract infections, as well as birth complications for both the mother and child.
The implications for the mental health of survivors is also well documented. Research conducted by the World Health Organisation found that immediate psychological trauma within women stemmed from the pain, shock. And in some instances - the use of physical force by those performing the practice.
In the long-term, sufferers may experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, and memory loss. A study conducted amongst African communities regarding FGM, found that women who have been cut have the same levels of PTSD as adults who have been subjected to childhood abuse. Further, 80 per cent of women suffer from mood affective or anxiety disorders.
Survivors speak out
Brook - a charity committed to challenging prejudices and fighting sexual stigma, partnered up with Integrate Bristol to share the real story of a 14-year-old girl. The girl, who lives in the UK, experienced FGM in her home country.
Pictured below is Ifrah Abdulle and her daughter Nasri in their shelter at Walala Biyotey IDP. Ifrah underwent FGM at the age of eight, and suffered an infection
Credit: Africa Collection / Alamy
One girl's story
Explaining how the event occurred, and how rife it is across her community, the girl - who has chosen to remain anonymous - wrote:
"I was six years old when it happened to me. I knew what was going to happen, I knew they were going to cut me because a lot of my friends had had it done and I’d had a look – it was quite normal for girls to have a look at each other. My friends had told me that it was really painful, that it was horrible, so I was terrified. It happened when my mother was away and relatives were looking after me and my sister.
"In the morning, when I was at school, they told me it was ‘my time’. My uncle and aunt came to take me from the school. It was my sister’s time too – she was eight years old. The woman who cut us was my grandmother’s sister – and she was going to cut us in a tent near a huge tree. They used ropes to tie our legs apart and there were lots and lots of girls there. I could hear screaming, lots of horrible screaming and there was so much blood. Girls were crying.
"When I came to England and I started having periods, the problems started. I had to go to the doctor and they opened me. So everything is much better, but there are still some problems. Lots of people from my community believe that if you are ‘open’ [haven’t undergone FGM], no man will want to marry you. And they keep telling me that. But I don’t believe that – and in any case, if a man doesn’t want me because I am open, the way Allah made me, then he can go away!"
The entire story can be read at Brook.