What is Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)?
The World Health Organization defines female genital mutilation as "the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia . . . for cultural and other non-therapeutic reasons." This practice is deeply rooted in many traditional cultures, where it often serves as a rite of passage or as preparation for marriage. Although FGM is ancient and occurs in at least 28 African countries and several in the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America, it is spreading to North America, Europe, and Australia as well, through immigration.
Usually the procedure is done with crude and non-sterile instruments such as broken glass and razor blades, without anesthesia, often against the will of the girl or woman, and by circumcisors who have no medical training and little knowledge of anatomy. Consequences include death (an estimated 15 percent of those who undergo genital cutting die), sterility, paralysis, and lifelong health problems, including chronic pain, painful sexual relations, obstructed labor in childbirth, and psychological trauma. An estimated 130 million women worldwide suffer from FGM, and 2 million more are cut every year. The procedure is not reversible, has no health advantages, and is not required by any religion.
In Uganda, FGM is practiced by a minority of the population, primarily the Sabiny (Sebei) and Pokot tribes, whose home areas are in eastern Uganda adjoining Kenya, on Mt. Elgon or in the Karamoja region. Parts of these areas are so remote and isolated that they are not reached by newspapers, radio, television, or outsiders; and many people living there have never heard of the idea of not practicing FGM. In these cultures, "female circumcision," as it is usually called in Uganda, is a counterpart to male circumcision, and its practice is woven into every aspect of social life. Without being cut, a girl is not considered a woman. She may not marry, speak or dance in public, or touch food or eating utensils used by others. Among the Sabiny, girls are expected to be cut around the age of 15, and among the Pokot, as young as 8 or 9 years old. The photo above shows young Pokot girls during their seclusion period after being cut. They will be married in a few weeks.
Why does FGM continue?
Considering the harm and loss inflicted through female genital mutilation, and the thousands of words and millions of dollars expended by outsiders trying to discourage FGM, why is it still going on?
Until recently, the practice was secret in many African societies. In the late 1800s, missionaries and colonial governments in Africa discovered girls were being "circumcised" and attempted to stop it. They were unsuccessful. A few courageous African women began speaking out and organizing against FGM during the 1980s. As a mark of change, some women in FGM-practicing cultures also began refusing to be cut, something that would have been unthinkable in the past. When relatives or elders threatened to force genital mutilation on them, a few women fled their homelands and sought asylum in Western countries in order to retain their bodily integrity, and their cases received publicity in the United States and Europe. As a result, more and more people in the West came to learn about FGM and protest against it. But backlash also resulted as the practicing cultures defended their tradition fiercely against the intervention and criticism of outsiders.
Though some modern governments have made FGM illegal, the laws are usually unenforceable because of the resistance of FGM-practicing cultures. In Uganda, since the 1980s the government has outspokenly opposed the practice. It was hoped that the Sabiny and Pokot would give it up voluntarily, but in early 2008 a bill was introduced in Parliament that will make FGM illegal.
We have observed that human rights-oriented activism and confrontational tactics used to try to stop FGM are often counterproductive and cause female genital mutilation to become even more deeply entrenched. Sometimes the cutting is "driven underground," meaning that it continues secretly, outside the view of authorities and activists. Female genital mutilation is regarded as essential in cultures where it is practiced. It can only be effectively combated by sensitizing people to its harm, supporting those who are willing to give up the custom, and -- most of all -- educating girls so they will have options in life. Once the transmission of FGM to the next generation is stopped, the practice will end.