By Ginny Gallardo
Female genital mutilation is also known as female genital cutting or female circumcision. It is the practice of piercing, cutting, removing, or sewing closed all or part of a girl or woman's external genitals for no medical reason. It is widely practiced in some African and Middle Eastern cultures, as well as in some areas in Asian countries. There are many reasons that this is done. Some cultures that believe that it will ensure that a woman remains a virgin until they are married, it is a rite of passage, hygienic, is used to increase the male pleasure, a requirement for marriage or a religious requirement. As of 2012, the United Nations General Assembly has recognized female genital mutilation as a violation of human rights for girls and women.
The practice of FGM has slowly been banned in different countries as the years have gone by. However, weak enforcement of these laws has led it to still being practiced. There are a number of factors that contribute to this. It could be that the government is too weak and does not have the capacity, the government’s forces cannot reach the tribes where this is still practiced because of environmental factors or it could be that the government is preoccupied with other matters that take precedence over women’s health and safety, in their eyes. That being said, some countries have made progress against the practice of FGM.
As recently as this year there have been laws passed that ban the practice in African and Middle Eastern states. Nigeria, one of the largest and arguably the influential country of Africa, outlawed FGM in May 2015. It was one of then President Goodluck Jonathon’s last actions to sign into law this act and set the precedent for many other countries that still have not outlawed the practice. This rather historic step was taken in order to try to influence other African nations where FGM is still allowed and widely practiced. Though this was done, Nigeria is a large and heavily populated country in Africa and it still remains to be seen whether this law will be enforced.
Though there are many countries that are beginning to ban the act and even prosecute those that are cutting, it is still an uphill battle. Egypt is a country where FGM was banned but it is still widely practiced—not just in rural villages but also in urban cities. In Cairo, Dr. Fadl was sentenced to more than two years in jail for his part in the death of thirteen-year-old Suhair al-Bataa, who died due to complications created by undergoing a FGM procedure. At this point, FGM had been banned for six years with many activists still in Egypt trying to educate the people about how unsafe and unnecessary such a procedure is.
But why is it not working? Why are more than 125 million women and girls still experiencing FGM and an additional 2 million are at risk each year? The problem is that these activists are not tackling the root of the issue. The root is that this practice is embedded deeply in their culture—specifically their religion. Although FGM is not specifically mentioned in any religious text, it is treated as a religious rite in some cases. This means that it will not be easily stopped and should be treated in a certain manner that does not belittle their religious views but explains how harmful the practice is on the women. We must not attack the culture because this will only cause an adverse reaction. If the people are shown that this concern about FGM does not come from a racist point of view or that advocates view them to be barbarians or savages, activists could have a more effective presence.
Even in the face of this much opposition and the threat of FGM ‘going underground’, advocates should not stop fighting. Instead, advocates need to tackle the problem from the same place as African feminists. Sylvia Tamale, a Ugandan academic, is a strong opponent to FGM but believes that this is a problem that cannot be eradicated when coming from a Western perspective. African feminists do not "condone the negative aspects of the practice", writes Tamale, but "take strong exception to the imperialist, racist and dehumanizing infantilization of African women." Activists and feminists in these areas should try to build up women and girls to take a stand in ending this practice. By encouraging women, who experienced FGM as little girls, to speak out against the practice and to encourage other women to oppose the practice, they could slowly eradicate FGM. Slowly, FGM will end not only in places like Nigeria and Egypt but also in all countries.
Ginny Gallardo is an Assistant Online Editor for the Sigma Iota Rho Journal of International Relations. She is senior at Baylor University, majoring in International Studies and Political Science.
