Cutter's Denounce Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), Surrender Knives

UNFPA Uganda
February 19, 2012

AMUDAT - Uganda: It turned out a moment filled with emotions that hot and sunny afternoon in a little village of Amudat, north-east of Uganda,when a group of women publically rose up to denounce the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and surrender their cutting knives to the authorities.

Dancing to the rhythm of the drums and the mellow tunes that set the mood, the group of once-committed women cutters, all colorfully dressed, snaked their way to the main-table and one by one, handed over their much-treasured tools – the FGM knives – to the Chief Guest of the day, Uganda’s State Minister of Gender and Cultural Affairs, Hon. Rukia Nakadama.

This spectacular event took place during the event to commemorate the 9th International Day of Zero Tolerance against FGM held at Pokot Senior Secondary school in Amudat district, on 6th February 2012. The women had travelled 73km from Karita Sub-County, Amudat district to the venue to take part in the event.

Amidst cheers from the crowd, the women said they made the decision to stop the practice after understanding that FGM was harmful and had negative impact on the lives of women and girls. They said that they were educated about the negative consequences of FGM by REACH (Reproductive, Educative and Community Health Programme). REACH is a community based organization supported by UNFPA.

“I decided I did not want to involve myself in this practice anymore. I don’t want to spill innocent young-girls’ blood anymore,” said one of the ex-cutters Margaret Chebet Kapkoikoi. She had been cutting girls for over four years. She also attributes her decision to retire from FGM cutting to the teachings in the church.

Hon. Nakadama praised the ex-cutters for their gesture and commitment to eradicate the harmful practice. “The handing over of these knives today is a positive gesture that society has now declared the abandonment of the practice,” said Nakadama.

This acceleration in the abandonment of FGM has been attributed to the UNFPA- UNICEF Joint Programme on FGM. This programme is grounded onto the ‘social norm approach’ that provides for community participation in the campaign to eradicate FGM. Community groups, including religious leaders, local leaders (LCs), FGM survivors, youth groups, ex-cutters and individual activists take action to publically denounce FGM; create awareness about the dangers of cutting women/girls; and advocate for change in attitudes towards a culture that is supportive of the social and economic empowerment of women and girls.

more pictures on http://www.flickr.com/photos/unfpauganda/

To read the full article on the UNFPA website, click here

Eliminating Female Genital Mutilation Requires Individual State Solutions

October 21, 2012
Policymic.com
Erin Crosset

Senegal’s recent success in abandoning Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) in over 5,000 villages across the country is inspiring to many and marks a huge triumph in spreading public health awareness across Africa. Western governments and major international agencies, particularly UNICEF, UNFPA, and WHO, should take particular note, as they have poured over $44 million into eliminating FGM/C with marginal success at best. As one of the most contentious issues surrounding human development and public health in Africa, FGM/C can be eradicated through localized advocacy campaigns, a change in discourse from the West, and a paradigm shift in marriage preconditions.

With roughly 28% of the population affected by FGM/C practices, Senegal represents a success story wherein community leaders, imams, and aid practitioners worked together in villages to achieve collective pledges against performing FGM/C on their daughters. These pledges are similar to those made by the Chinese during the early 20th century to end foot binding. Political Scientist Gerry Mackie describes in American Sociological Review the importance of families agreeing to neither bind their daughter’s feet nor allow their sons to marry women with bound feet, and notes the brevity of ending such a deeply entrenched practice: one generation. Collective pledges eliminate the coordination dilemma that arises when some women are cut and others are not, allowing women to avoid the plethora of medical complications associated with infibulation while retaining sexual autonomy.

In order to alleviate FGM/C practices in countries where it is most prevalent, particularly Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, and Mali, the discourse surrounding infibulation must change. The term “female genital mutilation” carries the connotation that Westerners view this African practice as barbaric and that African parents are unloving, which is exactly why Western efforts are not as effective as they could be.

Women primarily enforced Chinese foot binding on their own daughters since small feet represented a higher status, increased marriagability, and allowed for more options and prosperity. The same is true in the case of FGM/C: Mothers love their daughters and fear they will be ostracized unless they are cut. Many are unaware of the immediate and long-term health risks and simply want to allow their child maximum options for marriage. By recognizing this fact, that these women love their daughters and are acting out of convention, Western aid and development practitioners can abandon their patronizing post-colonial attitude and instead foster a dialogue with education as a focal point.

Those seeking to implement anti-FGM/C initiatives must realize there is no blanket solution, as customs, cultures, and motivations behind cutting are markedly different within African countries. Infibulation is prerequisite in some 30 countries in Africa for honor and marriage proposals, yet countries differ in their attitudes towards gender equality and religious pretexts. In countries such as Senegal, where the government has formally outlawed FGM/C, it is becoming more and more acceptable to speak out against it. This is certainly not universal, as many Africans fear reprisal from village elders if they do not cut their child, which prompted Sudanese women’s health NGOs to train midwives and henna artists alike to recognize and replicate a secret signal: a henna heart below the thumb to signify “do not cut.” Henna artists, usually commissioned to paint mothers during bridal showers and weddings, recommend anti-FGM/C midwives that perform fake circumcisions. If the women are shy or too scared to seek out referrals themselves, the henna tattoo says it all. Some midwives that perform FGM/C are morally opposed to the practice but due to lack of economic alternatives, are forced to carry out the practice anyway. These staged circumcisions address this issue directly, while highlighting the importance of localized solutions to international problems.

When tackling the issue of FGM/C eradication, individuals, local organizations and international agencies alike must remember the top priority: keeping girls and young women healthy and empowered. Localized advocacy campaigns prove to be most effective since they address the issue in accordance with local customs and traditions, while receiving constant feedback. The collective pledges idea appeals to African mothers’ sense of compassion and love for their daughters and, most importantly, proves that genital cutting and further medical complications do not have to be required to achieve a desired marital status and livelihood.

To read the full article on the PolicyMic website, click here

Proposed Centre Would Address Many Aspects of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting

October 21, 2011
UNFPA

NAIROBI --- Participants at an international conference on research, healthcare and preventive measures related to female genital mutilation/ cutting called for the creation an African Coordinating Centre for partnership, capacity building, research, and policymaking on FGM/C.

The vision, according to the proposal drafted by the University of Nairobi, is to establish a centre of excellence for African researchers to develop innovative approaches to increase and deepen the understanding on issues related to FGM/C and its elimination. It would also train leaders and for promote health care for survivors.

“Ideally, the Centre will also provide improve the skills of health providers in healthcare support services to the 140 million girls and women affected by FGM/C,” said Nafissatou Diop, coordinator of the Joint Programme on FGM/C, noting that surgical procedures are now able to repair some of the damages.

“FGM/C is an irreversible act,” noted Ms. Diop. “However there is hope today that women could be surgically repairs from the damage related to this harmful practice.” She cited research presented at the conference showing high success rates (83 per cent satisfaction) among women who had undergone this surgery.

The Centre would also provide evidence for continuous monitoring, data for evaluation of progress, capacity building and monitor policy influence of research through the collaborative efforts of many partners including UNFPA, UNICEF, WHO, University of Nairobi, International Centre for Reproductive Health, Ghent University (Belgium), Universities of Washington and Sydney, the Africa-Australia Universities Network and Worldwide Universities Network.

Shortchanging women

During the conference, Kenya’s assistant Minister for Cooperative Development, the Honourable Lina Kilimo, who hails from a community with a high prevalence of FGM/C, spoke movingly about her own experience. She was ostracized by her community for running away to escape the cut. However, her strong conviction against the practice prompted her to join politics, and from her position she continues her fight against the female cut. “This is a cruel practice that destroys a woman’s ego and self esteem,” she said.

FGM/C is a discriminatory cultural practice that effectively denies women the opportunity to participate and contribute to national development, the University of Nairobi’s vice-chancellor of Professor Joseph Magoha affirmed. This shortchanges both women and their countries, he said, adding, “There can be no sustainable development of a country without active participation of women.”

New dimensions of the problem: medicalization and globalization

While acknowledging the many initiatives at the global, regional, national and community levels towards the reduction and elimination of the practice, the conference participants agreed that there were a myriad challenges confronting these efforts, including the trend toward medicalization of the practice. While using trained medical workers and sterile instruments may eliminate some of the obvious harmful effects, it does not address the underlying violation of the rights of women and girls, participants noted.

In this regard, the recently enacted law criminalizing FGM/C in Kenya was seen as an important step towards dealing with this new threat. While acknowledging the significance of legislation, several participants noted the inadequacy of legislation alone to addressing certain cultural beliefs that perpetuate the practice. It was agreed that a multi-sectoral approach was the best way to address the issue.

A presentation prepared by the World Health Organization also clarified the fact the widespread emigration makes FGM/C a global issue. This brings up a relatively new phenomenon: the psychological effects of the procedure on immigrant populations who may find themselves stigmatized in their new environments.

To read the full article on the UNFPA website, click here

Gambia: CRR Health Personnel Trained On FGM

October 10, 2011
allAfrica.com
Lamin Sm Jawo


Janjangbureh — 35 health workers drawn from all parts of the Central River Region (CRR) recently concluded a three-day capacity building training on female genital mutilation (FGM) and its complications on pregnant women and childbirth. The training was held at the Regional Health Team's conference hall in Bansang, CRR south.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Baba Njie, the Regional Health director of CRR said that FGM has long-term physical complications on women who are victims of it. He revealed that a community-based study indicated that FGM has physical complications such as damage to the perineum or anus, vulvas tumors, keloids as well as painful sex, infertility, etc.

Njie further explained that there are several complications in FGM; such as gynaecological complications, antenatal complication, complications in early labour, among others. Barra Njie, the Wassu Kafo Group training officer, revealed that a survey was conducted at all health facilities to assess the level of understanding of health personnel on FGM, which revealed that 50% of the health workers don't have knowledge about FGM and its complications to reproductive health.

"As a result, this programme is specifically designed for health personnel to identify and take care of patients of FGM related complications, which is being supported by UNFPA, UNICEF, WHO and University Authonomat in Barcelona. The Wasu Kafo is [assigned] to capacitate health workers, religious leaders, TBAs, influential people at community level," he explained.

He disclosed that Wassu Kafo is an international NGO focusing on research and has a branch in Spain. He said fertility goes with complications such as childbirth, tears in labour, prolonged labour, and that an obstructed labour can lead to still birth.

To read the full article on the allAfrica website, click here

UNICEF and partners aim to end harmful practices towards children and women in Guinea-Bissau

October 4, 2011
UNICEF


CANQUEBO, Guinea-Bissau, 4 October 2011 - Thanks to the intervention of the NGO Tostan, whose ongoing actions are helping to change long-held erroneous attitudes, customs, and traditions, the inhabitants of Canquebo village can now rest assured that the days of harmful practices towards women and children are numbered.

With additional support from UNICEF and UNFPA, such human rights violations as early and forced marriage, lack of girls’ education, absence of  birth registration, and female genital mutilation/circumcision are finally becoming a thing of the past in Canquebo.

Indicator of change

Mariama Seide, coordinator of the Community Management Committee, recently commented on the initiative to end these customs. "We are aware of the negative consequences of involuntary and early marriage," she said. "Now the girl is asked whether or not she agrees to the husband chosen. If she refuses, then the family is forced to accept her position.”

Domestic violence has also been common among couples in Canquebo. Women would be routinely beaten by their husbands and forced into silent submission, unable to attend community meetings and have their voices heard.

"Just for me to be here speaking to you is a strong indicator of change,” said Ms. Seide with a smile. “This is the result of the profound work undertaken by the NGO Tostan in our community.”

Focus on education

A major factor spurring the positive change is education. Queba Dindima Seide, the head of the Canquebo community, highlighted the importance of literacy, stating that all the women in the community are able to read and write.

This focus on education extends to the children in the community as well. Rather than labouring in the crop fields during cashew season – as was common in the past – the village youth now attend school normally.

"Many children didn’t go to school and some even abandoned school altogether,” said Seide Manque, a young member of the Community Management Committee. “However thanks to awareness-raising undertaken by Tostan, with support from UNICEF and UNFPA, the parents learned about children’s right to education, and over time all children returned to school.”

A positive impact

In addition to the efforts being made to educate their community, the issue of birth registration is also being addressed. Now children are being registered soon after their birth, as the community has been made aware that every child has the right to a name and nationality.

The community’s spiritual leader is also happy with the way the village has improved in recent times and stressed that Tostan, UNICEF and UNFPA’s interventions have made a decidedly positive impact on the lives of all the villagers – particularly women and children.

To read the full report on the UNICEF website, click here

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION/CUTTING

Date of event: 17 October 2011 - 19 October 2011
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
The main purpose of this conference is to review existing knowledge and identify knowledge gaps with regards to the health consequences of FGM/C and their treatment, as well as review of community based interventions against FGM/C and their efficacy. The conference will also help in strengthening of leadership and research capacity of FGM/C issues in Africa by a) creating a network and a platform for a network of researchers based in African countries, and b) explore the possibilities of establishing an African Centre for research and leadership training for the abandonment of female genital cutting.

Gambia: Stakeholders Discuss UNFPA/Unicef Programme On FGM

Aminata Sanyang
September 22, 2011
Banjul, Gambia

Stakeholders from some West African countries and the United States of America Wednesday began a three-day training on monitoring and evaluation of the joint UNFPA/UNICEF programme on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) at Jerma Beach Hotel and Resort in Kololi.

The purpose of the training is to strengthen the monitoring and evaluation of the FGM/C programme as well as develop the capacity and accountability of the countries in West Africa.

The West African countries represented at the training include The Gambia, Senegal, Mali, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Guinea Bissau and Guinea Conakry.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Reuben Mboge, the resident coordinator of the UN Systems in The Gambia spoke on the joint programme of UNFPA/UNICEF.

He said: "As monitoring and evaluation is everyone's business once you are involved in the project implementation irrespective of your position in the organisation, the importance is the need to know where we are in terms of achieving results and making impacts." He noted that the training would serve as an experience-sharing forum and urged the participants to make best use of the opportunity.

Nafisatou Jobe spoke on the UN Resolution 54/7 ending FGM. She went on to dilate on the elements contributing to ending FGM/C practice, saying that it is promoted by enabling communities to access correct information about the practice from trusted sources.

She described the joint project as vital to support the enactment and implementation of national legislation and policies to end practices that are both culturally sensitive and consistent with the attainment of human rights, including the elimination of discrimination against women.

Jobe further highlighted the achievements registered in terms of the fight against FGM. "We are in the right track for improving the lives, health and dignity of women and girls in Africa," she said.

New law prohibits practice of female genital mutilation in Guinea-Bissau

September 13, 2011
UNICEF
Iain Murray

BISSAU, Guinea-Bissau, 13 September 2011 - This past June, the National Popular Assembly (ANP) of Guinea-Bissau approved a law prohibiting female genital mutilation and cutting (FGM/C) nationwide. The controversial law had been on the table for discussion for 16 years, before it was ultimately approved by 64 votes in favour to 1 vote against.

45 per cent of women aged 15 to 49 years are affected by the newly prohibited practice, due to its deep significance in traditional culture. These long-held cultural beliefs make implementing the legislation a particular challenge in Guinea-Bissau

Cadi Seide, a young mother and a member of the Community Management Comittee of Canquebo village, expressed her pleasure at the decision to ban FGM/C, and highlighted that while communities were mired in the divisive debate over the traditional and religious practice, FGM/C had continued to impact women and girls in towns and villages across the country.

Raising awareness

There is widespread agreement that considerable work lies ahead, particularly to raise  awareness on why this harmful custom should be ended. Currently 33 per cent of women approve of the continuation of female genital mutilation across the country.

While over 50 per cent of the population agree that the practice of female genital mutilation should be abandoned, prevalence of the practice remains high and the trend is worrying. Nevertheless the approval of this law by the ANP is an important first step to protect the physical integrity of women and girls across Guinea-Bissau.

UNICEF is implementing a joint programme with UNFPA and the NGO Tostan in Guinea-Bissau to promote the end of FGM/C. To date this joint programme is targeted at achiveing public declarations of the abandonment of FGM/C in 39 communities in the Gabu and Bafata regions where the practice is most prevalent.

To read the full article on the UNICEF website, click here

KENYA: Limited success for campaigns targeting FGM/C practitioners

August 1, 2011
IRIN Africa


August is when Nchoo Ngochila would normally be gearing up for the traditional female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) season in her Ilchamus community in Kenya's Rift Valley Province.

"I would introduce myself and market my skills to the parents, I would convince them to hire me when the mutilating season came," she told IRIN. "In a day I would cut an average of 10 girls in a village, and would operate in two villages each day."

Ngochila, once a well-respected FGM/C practitioner, charged about US$22 per girl, a healthy income by the standards of the minority Ilchamus community, which comprises just 40,000 people mainly dependent on subsistence agriculture and fishing in Lake Baringo.

"At heart, I felt the pain of watching girls weep as I cut them, but I needed money to pay school fees for my sons," she added.

This year, however, Ngochila will spend her time trying to convince her community the practice should be abandoned. About a year ago, a campaign by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) urged FGM/C practitioners in the area to put down their razors and campaign for women's rights in their communities.

"I was invited for training in our village, they talked about the suffering a girl [experiences] while undergoing FGM, and the way the practice denied women their rights," she said. "I felt so guilty that I cancelled all the bookings I had for August last year; instead I went to the same parents and tried to convince them against FGM."

A hard sell

Of the 30 bookings she had already made in 2010, just two changed their minds about having their daughters cut.

Ngochila found herself on the wrong side of elders and other members of the Ilchamus community; when she tried to convince other practitioners to give up the trade, they accused her of trying to ruin their business.

Local officials estimate that more than 50 percent of Ilchamus girls and women have undergone FGM/C.

The campaign to dissuade traditional practitioners from cutting girls continues, and local women's leader Winnie Mengiri says 15 practitioners from Marighat Division and 20 from Mukutani Division - where many Ilchamus people live - claimed to have been reformed because of various campaigns.

Today, Nodasimi Parteneu, a friend of Ngochila's, struggles to make ends meet, but is determined not to return to performing FGM/C for money.

"At first I thought it was good that Nchoo had abandoned the practice - she was my main competitor - but I later reasoned her way and put down my razor," she said. "Sometimes I get nightmares as I recall how a girl died after she bled following FGM which I had done, but I know God will give me grace to forget those memories."

Alternative incomes

But Mengiri says the high income of the practitioners often means their positions within the community do not stay vacant for long.

"Younger women are now mutilating girls secretly; some people here are yet to embrace the new anti-FGM culture," she said.

Younger women are now mutilating girls secretly; some people here are yet to embrace the new anti-FGM cultureGender and children affairs permanent secretary James Nyikal, who recently officiated at the signing of a declaration to abandon FGM/C by Ilchamus practitioners, elders and community members, said the government intended to provide alternative sources of income to women who wished to leave the profession to discourage them from returning to it.

Ngochila now makes mandazi (pastry), which she sells in schools around her village. Her income has dropped significantly, and she now survives on just $1.10 per day; she is hoping to benefit from the government's women’s entrepreneur fund to expand her business.

Involving men

According to UNFPA gender programme officer Florence Gachanja, a campaign targeting Ilchamus elders to fight FGM/C has borne fruit, leading to the community's endorsement of the anti-FGM declaration.

"Elders are the gate-keepers of culture, if they order that a certain traditional practice should be abandoned, [the community follows]," she said.

UNFPA will also be including Ilchamus “moran”, young men, many of whom refuse to marry uncut women. "We will be having a campaign to... convince them [that] women are the same, cut or not cut," Gachanja added.

The Ilchamus practise a form of FGM/C known as clitoridectomy, the removal of all or part of the clitoris. An estimated 32 percent of women in the Rift Valley Province have undergone the procedure, according to the 2009 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey.

Education, law

Area chief Francis Ole Kaprich says the education of Ilchamus girls will likely have the greatest impact on reducing the prevalence of the practice.

"I am sure this will play a big role in reducing FGM, but there is a need for more campaigns, sensitization and [vigilance] by law keepers if the Ilchamus [are to] abandon FGM completely," he said.

Although criminalizing FGM/C does not seem to have had much impact on the practice, Ole Kaprich said he would be enforcing the law in his own community.

"I know the majority will be doing it in secret, but I will make sure those caught will face the wrath of the law," he said. "We are also sensitizing girls... soon, mutilators will have no one to cut."

Female Circumcision -- 90 Percent of Childbearing Women in Egypt?

February 11, 2011
The Huffington Post
Evelyn Leopold

UNITED NATIONS - The good news is that female circumcision -- also known as female genital mutilation -- has decreased in a number of nations. The bad news is that the figures are still shocking after years of campaigns.

The practice of cutting into female organs is prevalent in a number of countries in Africa, the Middle East and south Asia as well as among migrant families in Europe and the United States. Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) is usually carried out between infancy and 15 years of age to keep women "pure," marriageable and unable to enjoy sex. Consequences include severe bleeding, childbirth complications, and of course pain.

The latest figures, released by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), show that over 6,000 communities have chosen to abandon the practice in Ethiopia, Egypt, Kenya, Senegal, Burkina Faso, the Gambia, Guinea and Somalia.

But... there is always a but...

In Ethiopia, the prevalence rate has fallen from 80 percent to 74 percent, in Kenya from 32 percent to 27 percent, and in Egypt from 97 percent to 91 percent, according to Nfissatou Diop, coordinator of the program. The prevalence rate is based on a representative sample, not a door-to-door census.

In other words, this means that 91 percent of Egyptian females aged 15-49 years old may have been circumcised, most of them when they were young and could not protect themselves. The surveys are conducted by the U.S.-based Macro International every 5-6 years.

So, does that mean that most of the spirited young woman demonstrators and bloggers we have seen on TV have lost control over their bodies? Or do they belong to the lucky 10 percent?

The practice is outlawed in Egypt although hardly anyone has been prosecuted. The now-former first lady, Suzanne Mubarak, called female circumcision "a flagrant example of continued physical and psychological violence against children which must stop." Last May 1, she appeared at Aswan City alongside local officials to declare the province free of it. Hopefully the ouster of the Mubarak family will not result in a backlash on this issue.

Three million girls face FGM/C every year in Africa and worldwide, and up to 140 million women and girls have already undergone the practice, the UN agencies report.

Among the nations practicing female circumcision are 28 countries in Africa and the Middle East, including Iraq's Kurdistan area. The procedure has also been reported among certain populations in India, Indonesia and Malaysia. Many countries have enacted laws against FGM: 19 in Africa (Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Ivory Coast, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia); 11 in Europe (Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Britain). And the United States, Australia, Canada and New Zealand also have legislation against FGM.

But enforcing them is as difficult as the Pope's ban on birth control.

Waris Dirie speaks
 One of the most famous advocates against FGM was Waris Dirie of Somalia, a model, actress and human rights activist. She has spoken and written about how her mother held her down when she was cut, without anesthesia, by a gypsy woman. Her vaginal opening was stitched closed with thorns. "Can you imagine anything worse than hearing the screams of pain of your own child?" she asks. She trekked across Somalia barefoot to escape an arranged marriage.

The International Organization for Migration advocates work among immigrants. "Traditional practices don't die when a migrant's boat or plane journey ends. With its partners, IOM is committed to eliminating FGM within a generation. However, this will only happen if practicing migrant communities are fully included in efforts to end FGM," said IOM Director General William Lacy Swing.

Many religious leaders, both Muslims and Christians, say the practice is not related to religion but has been a part of tradition for hundreds if not thousands of years. But a World Health Organization-funded study a year ago found that there are contradictory messages from religious scholars and sheiks. The nagging question is how mothers and fathers can continue the painful practice, generation after generation.

Incontinence and maternal mortality are among the health hazards of female circumcision. Yet the new U.S. Congress, in an apparent fixation on practices below the waist, is eager to cut any funds to Planned Parenthood and its reproductive health programs. No doubt UNFPA will be next as it was in the Bush administration.

The argument is denouncing any mention of abortion, although that is a rare discussion in developing nations. Abstinence is frequently advocated rather than birth control. Yet UNFPA estimates that 215 million women in the developing world want to delay or avoid pregnancy but have no access to contraception. For circumcised women, the choice of whether to have another child is an especially poignant question.

Top UN officials call for abolishing female genital mutilation

February 6, 2011
UN News Centre

Stressing that all girls deserve to grow up free from harmful practices that endanger their well-being, United Nations officials on Sunday called for abolishing the practice of female genital mutilation to help millions lead healthier lives.

Female genital mutilation or cutting (FGM/C) is the partial or total removal of the external genitalia – undertaken for cultural or other non-medical reasons – often causing severe pain and sometimes resulting in prolonged bleeding, infection, infertility and even death.

Genital cutting can produce complications during child birth, increasing the chances of death or disability for both mother and child.

Despite these risks, three million girls face FGM/C every year in Africa, and up to 140 million women and girls worldwide have already undergone the practice, which has serious immediate and long-term health effects and is a clear violation of fundamental human rights, according to the heads of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA).

In a joint statement to mark the International Day of Zero Tolerance to FGM/C, UNFPA Executive Director Babatunde Osotimehin and UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake renewed their commitment to put an end to the harmful practice.

“We call on the global community to join us in this critical effort. Together, we can abolish FGM/C in one generation and help millions of girls and women to live healthier, fuller lives,” they stated.

Over 6,000 communities in Africa, including in Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya and Senegal, have chosen to abandon the practice of FGM/C through a joint programme set up by the two agencies three years ago, and the number is growing.

“We are working in 12 out of 17 priority African countries and have seen real results. The years of hard work are paying off with FGM/C prevalence rates decreasing,” said Nafissatou Diop, Coordinator of the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on FGM/C.

“In Ethiopia, the prevalence rate has fallen from 80 per cent to 74 per cent, in Kenya from 32 per cent to 27 per cent, and in Egypt from 97 per cent to 91 per cent. But there is still a lot of work to do,” added Ms. Diop.

Set up in 2008, the joint initiative encourages communities to collectively abandon FGM/C. It uses a culturally sensitive approach, including dialogue and social networking, leading to abandonment within one generation.

The programme is anchored in human rights and involves all groups within a community, including religious leaders and young girls themselves. Rather than condemn FGM/C, it encourages collective abandonment to avoid alienating those that practice it and instead bring about their voluntary renunciation.

“Social norms and cultural practices are changing, and women and men in communities are uniting to protect the rights of girls. UNFPA and UNICEF are working with partners to end this harmful practice in one generation and we believe that reaching this goal is possible,” said the UN agency chiefs.

UN agencies join hands to fight FGM

February 3, 2011
New Vision
Brenda Asiimwe

TWO United Nations (UN) agencies have pledged to enhance support towards fighting female genital mutilation (FGM) in Uganda.

Describing the act as violent and brutal, the International Education Fund (UNICEF) and Population Fund (UNFPA) vowed to see that the practice is eradicated.

The agencies said they have so far injected US$487,000 in the on going campaign against FGM in selected districts in eastern and north-eastern Uganda.

“FGM is a violent act that can cause permanent damage both physically and emotionally,” the agencies said in a joint press statement.

Female genital mutilation comprises the cutting of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. The practice is mostly carried out by traditional circumcission surgeons.

The practice is common among the Sabiny, Pokot, and Tepeth communities; they believe it is an essential rite of passage that will enhance a girl’s chastity and chances of marriage.

Young girls are cut with crude knives in open and unsanitary conditions.

The cutting may result into prolonged bleeding, infection, infertility and complications during childbirth.

Government in 2009 passed a law banning female genital mutilation.

Convicted offenders face 10 years in prison, but if the girl dies during the act, those involved will get a life sentence, according to the law.

Theophane Nikyema, the UNDP resident representative, applauded the Government for passing the law, saying it had demonstrated commitment to eliminate the vice.

Last year, UNFPA and UNICEF helped to create a simpler version of the law that has been disseminated to 34 sub-counties where FGM was highly practiced.

The agencies also trained 500 local law enforcement officials, an intervention that saw genital cutters and parents arrested.

Janet Jackson, UNFPA representative in uganda, said that their focus for this year is creating social change through community dialogue and education.

Naini District Head Circumciser Declares No to FGM

January 31, 2011
Foroyaa Newspaper: The Gambia

The head female circumciser in the Niani District Na Jontang Jawneh has declared to stop practising Female Genital Mutilation. This declaration was made during a series of training workshops organised in Bakadagi Mandinka and Kuntaur Jakaba in the Naini District. The workshops organised by GAMCOTRAP were funded by UNFPA joint programme for the acceleration of the abandonment of Female Genital Mutilation in one generation in Africa. Bakadagi Mandinka hosted 10 other communities in the cluster, while Jakaba hosted fifteen (15) Communities.

GAMCOTRAP was welcomed in a fan fare of Kankurang dance at Bakadajie Mandinka which hosted Circumcisers, Traditional Birth Attendants and Women Leaders from other surrounding communities in the cluster. At Jakaba participants of the reproductive age from 15 communities were reached to raise their consciousness on the effects of Female Genital Mutilation, Gender Based Violence and Rights of Women and Children amongst others.

Speaking on Islam, FGM and the rights of women and children, religious scholar Oustass Abubacarr Kanteh noted that FGM is not an obligation in Islam and parents have responsibility to protect their children from all forms of harmful practices. Oustass Kanteh further noted that Islam promotes knowledge seeking and called on parents to educate their children - girls in particular. He cautioned parents to stop early and forced marriages and take responsibility to educate their daughters as education is the key to success.

The Executive Director of GAMCOTRAP Dr. Isatou Touray expressed appreciation of the leadership role Na Jontang Jawneh, head of the Circumcisers in Niani district took to publicly declare her support to support GAMCOTRAP in the campaign to stop Female Genital Mutilation - FGM and highlighted the importance of community consensus to protect girls from the practice and all other forms of Violence. The training workshops provided opportunity for communities to discuss women’s rights issues, Gender Based Violence and FGM in the context of sexual and reproductive health. Several participants gave testimonies on the issues raised during the training and contributed to the debate to promote and protect women and children’s rights.

Participants from both training programmes came to consensus to stop FGM and pledged to share the knowledge gained during the training. It was noted that gender based violence and sexuality issues were of great concern to women of reproductive age. It was courageous to hear several women share their experiences with others.

Prepared by GAMCOTRAP
January 2011

Colombian Indigenous Group Vows to Stop Female Genital Mutilation

December 21, 2010
International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics 
Paul Robertson



A Colombian indigenous group, the Embera, have said they will stop practising female genital mutilation (FGM).


According to Colombia Reports, the practice was widespread in the community and performed on young girls, reports El Tiempo.


With help from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Embera has decided to suspend FGM and research the cultural origins of it.


UNFPA has been helping the indigenous group to understand the impact on women's human rights that the practice has.


The decision is "of historical importance in the country", said UNFPA Colombia, reports the news provider.
It said the move is a step towards improving the "health and rights of Embera women".


Recently, international charity Unicef called for support to end FGM practices around the world, which are believed to affect around three million girls and women in Africa.


The charity believes intervention programmes can only be successful if they address the needs and wishes of the communities they are implemented in.

An End to FGM: Afar Districts' Success Story

November 15, 2010
The Reporter
Yelibenwork Ayele

The Amibara district in the Afar Regional State declared the abandonment of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) Thursday at a ceremony held to mark the occasion at the town of Werer.

Awash Fentale, a neighboring district, is scheduled to make a similar declaration today.

In Afar region, women have traditionally been subjected to the most severe form of the practice – infibulations - usually between the ages of seven and nine.

FGM as practiced in the Afar Regional State results in birth complication, problems of the renal system and even death. The Afar used to believe that their religion demanded the circumcision of girls and that was why they adhered to the practice for centuries, residents of Werer said. However, now that they had unlearned the misconception, they would never expose their daughters to the knife of genital cutting, they said.

“We now understand that we ignorantly lost thousands of our girls and women due to circumcision, but we don’t want that to go on unchecked,” Ibrahim Musa, a resident of Werer said.

The change in the attitude of the districts’ residents was the result of continuous community conversations facilitated by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and UNICEF in collaboration with the regional government and local officials.

“We all know that when a piece of flesh is sliced off the genital area of a girl it hurts and causes copious bleeding but it had not occurred to us that that was the cause of the troubles and deaths of most of the women among us,” Fatuma Ayuma, a twenty-eight year old and mother of two girls said. She said that none of her two daughters was subjected to FGM and they never would be as long as she lived.

According to Fatuma, the effort of stopping FGM is still facing challenges in rural areas that are far away from the districts and where follow-up activities are not done. She said that in addition local religious leaders were urging the people to reject the idea of abandoning FGM.

Ethiopia is one of the 17 countries in Africa benefiting from the Joint UNFPA/UNICEF Program. The Joint Program aims to accelerate the abandonment of FGM by expanding existing efforts and to declare at least one country FGM free by 2012.

Afar region ranks second in the prevalence of FGM in Ethiopia (after Somali Region) with a prevalence rate of 92 per cent, according to the 2005 Demographic and Health Survey.

A number of initiatives have been undertaken to upgrade awareness and put in place structures for the abandonment of FGM in the intervention districts of the Joint Program. A Consensus Building Conference was held in Zone 3 of Afar Region last year among regional, district, and sub-district government and administration officials who unanimously agreed to promote community dialogue in their respective communities on the abandonment of FGM. They pledged to play an exemplary role in their community by not circumcising their own children and agreed to introduce and enforce the anti-FGM legislation after the communities reached a consensus on abandonment.

Anti-FGM committees were set up at the sub-district level comprising the clan leader, a community elder, former circumcisers, and the Kadi, a local judge. Anti-FGM village committees were also set up composed of two former circumcisers, a village elder, clan leader, and the religious leader in the community to teach the community on the consequences of FGM and report cases when they see evidence of it.

Uncircumcised and newborn girls are being registered, a record which serves as a follow-up mechanism to protect them. The registers are reported on a quarterly basis. Recent figures show that the number of uncircumcised girls in the six intervention districts of the Joint Program has reached 4,000. This is unprecedented in the region.

“With today’s public declaration of the abandonment of female genital mutilation or cutting, a new chapter opens for girls of Amibara District,” Tabeyin Gedlu, UNICEF Project Specialist, said. “Following an intense process of dialogue and discussion, the entire community has rallied to say no more to the ancient practice that has caused so much pain and suffering for countless generations of women. A new era is dawning for these communities and we urge vigilance in the days and months ahead to make sure that these hard earned commitments are not compromised.”

Protecting Women's Fundamental Rights

September 23, 2010

Franco Frattini

Deccan Herald 

Trying to simply impose behaviours by law is not enough: we have to go to the roots of the problem.

Promoting women’s rights at the global level must aim to enhance women’s role as pro-active individuals and as the essential and most effective channel for development and peace. However, to achieve this requires protecting women’s fundamental rights, first and foremost the right not to be subjected to violence. Italy has always been active with a number of initiatives and projects aimed at preventing violence against women. I am personally committed as a member of the ‘Network of Men Leaders’ launched last year by the UN secretary general within the scope of the campaign ‘Unite to End Violence Against Women.’ One of Italy’s main priorities in protecting and promoting human rights worldwide was combating Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). This practice is still a huge challenge in many parts of the world. In Africa, some traditional cultures consider it to be beneficial to women and their families, believing that it ensures girls a proper marriage and promotes chastity and family honour. Other countries in Europe, once unaffected by this practice, have become familiar with FGM over the last years, including Italy, where we have now an estimated 35,000 cases of FGM. Roots of the problem Female genital mutilation has been neglected for centuries. It was considered a kind of taboo, and the fact that it was often associated with ancestral traditions or religious myths complicated any open form of discussion or challenge. Illiteracy, poverty, and a lack of information have contributed greatly to the problem. Luckily, over the last decade, the interest in and commitment to end this practice has reached a new level. FGM is now generally considered a violation of the human rights and physical integrity of women and girls. Since the 1980s Italy has been actively engaged in programmes to combat and prevent FGM, starting in Somalia. In 2004 we initiated a partnership with Unicef aimed at the creation of a political, legal, and social framework for the abandonment of the practice of FGM. We are now one of the key donors to UN programmes in this field, including the Unicef/Unfpa joint programme on FGM. We are keen to reinforce our global partnership on this issue. The challenge is huge and requires a comprehensive approach and a wide range of strategies to be addressed effectively. One element is crucial to guide our action: understanding the social and cultural dynamics related to FGM. Trying to simply impose behaviours by law is not enough: we have to go to the roots of the problem and work on positive actions as well, especially in the fields of education and public awareness campaigns. I wish to clarify that there is no paternalism in our attitude nor have we any desire to impose ‘western standards’ on traditional cultures. Our objective is simply to support African ownership of this initiative and strengthen a process that Africa itself started a long time ago. Besides, we are not starting from scratch. We can now build on several initiatives that have taken place over the last months: in September 2009 we held in New York the first ministerial meeting on FGM, which brought together an initial group of 14 countries committed at the national and international level to support the fight against FGM; two months later, the government of Burkina Faso, together with Italy and the NGO ‘No Peace Without Justice’ organised a high-level regional meeting in Ouagadougou entitled ‘Towards a Global Ban of FGM’; in March 2010, an event at the margins of the Commission on the Status of Women was co-chaired by the Ministers for Gender Issues of Egypt, Italy and Senegal, and a resolution on ending female genital mutilation was adopted by consensus, tabled by the African Group, and endorsed later by ECOSOC. Last but not least, in May 2010 an Inter-Parliamentary Conference took place in Dakar, with representatives of parliaments and civil society from 28 African countries, and a declaration was adopted urging, inter alia, the UN General Assembly to adopt a resolution banning FGM in the world  in 2010. We believe that the time has come to present an ad-hoc resolution on FGM at this session of the UN General Assembly. Such a resolution should be brief and touch on a selected number of priorities: a solemn ban on FGM, a reference to the main legal and cultural instruments underlying that goal, an appeal to the international community and the UN system, and a light follow-up mechanism. The main point, however, is that this would be the first time the supreme body of the United Nations had spoken out on this matter — a major achievement in itself. This is one of the goals that we have set for this upcoming session of the General Assembly and I trust that the international community will be able to achieve it.

Anti- FGM Advocate Meets Top Government Officials

September 2, 2010

The Informer (Monrovia)

The Organizational Manager of the Inter-African Committee (IAC) on traditional practices affecting the health of women and children, Mr. Alemayhn Asseta Wednesday, August 25, 2010 paid a courtesy call on Acting Information, Culture and Tourism Minister, Norris Tweah on Capitol Hill.

During the meeting, Mr. Asseta called on the Government of Liberia to join the advocacy and fight against harmful traditional practices, such as female genital mutilation (FGM) among others practices that threaten the health of women and children.

In response, Minister Tweah welcomed the mission of the IAC, stressing that any practices against the dignity and health of another human persons, particularly women and children should be denounced by every civilized persons and governments the world over.

New Legislation to Protect Girls from Female Genital Mutilation

April 26, 2010
By UNFPA

(Washington, DC) – On April 26, 2010, Congressman Joseph Crowley (D-NY) and Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack (R-CA) announced the introduction of new, bipartisan legislation to crack down on the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM). FGM refers to removal of all or part of the female genitalia The Girls Protection Act (H.R. 5137) would make it a federal crime to transport a minor outside the United States for the purpose of FGM.
FGM has been illegal in the United States since 1996. Breaking the existing law or conspiring to do so constitutes a felony which could result in a prison sentence of up to 5 years. Sadly, however, many minor girls are forcibly taken outside the United States for the purposes of carrying out FGM.
Despite global efforts to promote abandonment of the practice, FGM remains widespread in many countries including Africa and Western Asia. It has spread to other parts of the world, including Europe and North America, where some immigrant families have settled.
FGM is internationally recognized as a violation of the human rights of girls and women. The practice also violates a person's rights to health, security and physical integrity, the right to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.
It is estimated that globally 130 million girls and women alive today have undergone genital cutting, with at least 2 million females each year —6,000 each day—undergoing the procedure.
UNFPA and UNICEF, through a joint program launched in 2007, are working to end to this persistent violation of the human rights of girls and women globally. FGM is considered to be a right of passage to adulthood; UNFPA addresses FGM in a holistic manner by funding and implementing culturally sensitive programs, including alternative rights of passage.
The Girls Protection Act would extend current U.S. laws to ensure that the same penalties that exist for domestic FGM apply to those involved in the transport of a minor abroad for the purpose of FGM. H.R. 5137 is modeled after the laws governing those engaged in international child prostitution.
“Female genital cutting is a violation of women’s rights that transcends many level,” says Anika Rahman. “I applaud our members of Congress for prioritizing this legislation to further protect the health and dignity of girls.”
“This is a matter of protecting fundamental human rights,” said Congressman Crowley. “No girl should be forced into this cruel procedure. Most of Europe has already made it illegal to force minor girls abroad for FGM – it is time we do the same.”

Ending Harmful Practices through Community-led Social Change in Senegal

April 20, 2010
By Kristin Helmore - UNFPA

Many organizations are working to eliminate female genital mutilation/cutting in Africa. But the organization that has been most successful in this, Senegal's Tostan, was not originally focused on this particular harmful practice.
"We didn't set out to end FGC," says Molly Melching, who founded Tostan in 1991. (The name Tostan means "breakthrough" in Wolof, a main language of Senegal.) "This is a holistic programme. The goal was simply to empower communities to make their own decisions about everything, including the things they've always taken for granted."
Villagers have come to the decision to abandon FGM/C on their own after learning some basic facts about the harm the practice inflicts on women and their children and, just as important, coming to the realization that people have the right to abandon a pervasive, deep-rooted, centuries-old tradition if that tradition is contrary to their best interests, she explained.
Ms. Melching prefers the term female genital cutting (FGC) to female genital mutilation because she finds the latter too accusatory. "We don't talk about mutilation because mutilation means cutting with the intention of harming," she says. "Women do not want to harm their daughters; they want them to succeed – to be marriageable, to be welcomed into society – that's why they do it."
Because of Tostan's remarkable success in ending the practice in Senegal, the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on FGM/C is also supporting the organization in the Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Djibouti and Somalia.

Learning and passing on knowledge

Tostan's carefully designed community empowerment approach is rigorous and intensive. It is based on learning and on communicating knowledge within Senegal's extensive social networks. When Tostan comes to a new community – and nowadays this is always by invitation from local people – separate groups of around 30 adults and 30 adolescents volunteer to form two classes. The classes, which are instructed by trained Senegalese facilitators, meet three times a week for two to three hours each session for a period of three years. The curriculum broadly focuses on governance, education, health, the environment and economic growth. The total cost for 60 students for three years is approximately $330 per student, or about $20,000, which is covered by donor funds.

Women celebrating at a public declaration ceremony announcing the abandonment of FGM/C in Nemanding, Senegal.

From the beginning, each class participant is recruited to pass on what he or she is learning to another person, who, in turn, will pass it on to someone else. This system of disseminating information and ideas has been especially effective among the loquacious Senegalese. When each student passes along the information, at least 120 people are instantly involved and they, in turn, reach out to others. This reinforces the learning process and creates a ripple effect where learners become teachers and knowledge achieves a critical mass.
Most members of the classes (about 70 per cent are women) have never been to school. The first year, the curriculum consists of discussions about human rights, democracy, problem-solving, health and hygiene. Simply telling people that changing their habits, traditions and beliefs will improve their lives is not enough: they have to come to this conclusion on their own. That is why the word 'discussions' is so critical. Learning in the Tostan classes is achieved through an approach that allows students to learn by talking about curriculum topics in the context of their own lives, experience and, often, what they already know without realizing it.
The second year focuses on literacy in the local language and math. (Tostan currently works in 22 African languages.) "After a year of the other classes, they're very anxious to learn to read and write because they understand how it can help them," says Ms. Melching. Literacy is taught using a device that gives tangible, potent meaning and impetus to the process of learning to read and write: cell phones capable of short message systems texting. In the third year students apply their new skills to more advanced texting and navigation. They also learn the principles of microfinance for business development, how to do business feasibility studies and project proposals (thus allowing them to qualify for loans). And they learn management skills, record-keeping and how to write financial reports – all in the context of their own circumstances and aspirations.

Contextualizing and texting about human rights

Communication is the driving force of the programme. "We teach reading not merely with letters and symbols but through using themes like human rights," says Ms. Melching. "We use the cell phone because we want the students to use their literacy skills doing what they do best: communicating. The oral tradition is very strong in Africa. In our programme, people learn about their human rights through discussion and dialogue."
In discussing human rights – a brand-new concept for many – the Tostan facilitators begin by asking participants to share their ideas about their own futures and what kind of community they want to live in. Invariably, says Ms. Melching, the students come up with the components of a human rights-based society, without ever having heard of the concept before. They mention health, education, freedom from hunger, freedom from violence, equal opportunities, work and access to social services.
At this point the stage is set to tell the students that these things are, in fact, the individual rights which they share with everyone on earth. "We tell them, 'These are things that the United Nations has identified as principles for every human being,' " says Ms. Melching. "We give them the opportunity to discuss individual rights and decide if they think they are relevant to their own situation. It's very exalting because they begin to understand that they're part of a world-wide movement and they're very proud to learn that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights has been adopted in their own constitution." These are ideas that ignite in people a compelling new sense of both possibilities and expectations.
When people learn for the first time that they have clearly identified rights, it is also important that they recognize that they are responsible for implementing and protecting these rights. "We not only want to inform our students about human rights," says Ms. Melching, "but to have them engage in a self-educating process by discussing these rights among themselves, and to think about them in the context of their traditional culture and religion, which in Senegal is Islam. Once people do this, they begin to see that their rights can be, and must be, a part of their everyday lives."

Human rights are an integral part of the curriculum

Rights soon emerge as an integral part of the sessions on health. Within this framework, participants learn about the risks of infection and of complications in childbirth caused by FGM/C. (In Senegal, all forms of female genital cutting are performed including the most extreme.) They learn that the practice plays a significant role in the high rates of maternal and infant mortality their communities' experience. They come to understand that genital cutting is neither required nor sanctioned by Islam, that it confers absolutely no health benefits, and that its abandonment will improve the health of women and increase the likelihood that newborns will survival.
However, in a society where everyone practices FGM/C, no one person or group of people can decide to abandon the practice and still be accepted as members of the community. To be accepted, the decision to eliminate genital cutting must be a collective one involving not only all the members of the local community but, crucially, all the communities with which the original group intermarries. FGM/C renders girls marriageable, so if a community decides to abandon the practice, the groups with whom this community intermarries must be prepared to abandon it as well.

Communication leads to collective decisions

Public declarations are a time for singing and dancing.

The first Senegalese village whose people collectively decided to abandon FGM/C did so in July 1997. The village publicly announced the decision, even inviting journalists to cover the event. Predictably, the surrounding communities were shocked and incensed by this break with the past. A village chief and religious leader, Demba Diawara, a participant in the Tostan programme, explained to Melching what the problem was.
"He said the reason the community is having so much trouble is that they did this alone," recalls Melching. Communities intermarry within large networks of villages, and one village alone cannot abandon the practice without facing ostracization by the wider community. Diawara's advice: work respectfully toward the goal with the entire community of marriage-affiliated villages and hold public commitment ceremonies marking the abandonment of FGC. He then volunteered to walk throughout all the villages in his community's network and spread the word that the practice was being ended.
As a result of Diawara's communication efforts, the first inter-village declaration of FGM/C's abandonment occurred in February 1998 when 13 villages came together as an extended social network and collectively rejected the practice. Other villages began to take notice. "When people saw the example of some villages standing up and abandoning FGC," says Ms. Melching, "they thought, 'OK, if others can do it, then we can too.'" Five months later, 18 more Senegalese villages, all of which had gone through the Tostan programme on human rights, decided to end FGM/C. Since then, the process has taken on a life of its own. Of the 4,500 communities in Senegal and elsewhere that have abandoned FGM/C so far, not all participated directly in the Tostan programme. "Often, a community learned that others were giving up the practice and then reached out to their own intermarrying communities in order to take the same step," Ms. Melching explains.
The second stage of the Tostan programme involves reaching beyond a single village where change has germinated and influencing entire multi-community social networks through traditional means of communication: theater, song, dance and poetry, both within that village and at meetings and informal contacts with other villages. Senegal's traditional communicators, called griots, are central to this process. Lately, Tostan participants have even been making films about ending FCM/C; these are shown on improvised screens from the back of a motorcycle.

Texting to solve problems

The final stage of communication, which begins in the second year of the Tostan programme, focuses on text messaging with cell phones. Interestingly, many villagers already had cell phones before they got involved in the programme. (Tostan distributes phones to those who need them.) But in the past, they rarely used the phones because talking is expensive and few people knew how to read and write, so texting was precluded for most. Becoming literate is always challenging, especially for adults, but under the Tostan programme, texting has proved to be an extraordinarily potent motivator.
A vast amount of knowledge about a wide range of issues is shared including:

• Problem solving: anything from how to repair irrigation pumps and plant woodlots to how to use fuel-efficient stoves.
• Hygiene: for example, how to prevent infection, keep the environment clean, build latrines and filter drinking-water.
• Health: among other things, how to prevent diarrhea and malaria, the need to vaccinate children and the dangers to women's health of FGM/C and child-marriage.

And, thanks to cell phones and texting, the communication network now extends to the African Diaspora: to immigrants living in Europe and the United States who are often still very much a part of the decision-making processes in their home villages. "The expatriates are still very connected to their villages," says Ms. Melching. "If they are not included in decisions, they could block everything you're trying to do. They can come back with their money and their power and their influence and move people back to the old ways."

Understanding – and upholding – the law against FGM/C

Although Senegal enacted its law banning FGM/C in 1999, enforcement has been very difficult. Even when people knew the law existed, very few understood its purpose. "We teach the law by bringing people through a process of understanding the reasons behind the law," says Ms. Melching. "FGC is a social norm which everybody accepted. But suddenly the law says it's no longer accepted. Why? Why would this age-old practice be against the law? So people discuss it among themselves and then they reach out to the rest of their community and they say, 'What do you think about this?' And they come to the conclusion, 'Yes, it's true, this should not be allowed because it can be harmful and we do not have the right to harm others.' This community-based process is very powerful and it's worked everywhere. Even the most conservative communities – in Somalia for example – have declared that they're abandoning the practice. People are open to this because it makes sense."
A recent UNICEF-funded study found that, after ten years, 77 per cent of communities that had said they were abandoning FGM/C had actually done so. According to Ms. Melching, as such things go, this is an extraordinarily high percentage. She believes that it's only a matter of time before the remaining 23 per cent of communities will follow. "What counts is building a critical mass of action," she says. "In any social transformation, you never have a 100 per cent result all at once. But as the critical mass grows and more and more people say, 'Yes, this is the right way to go,' more people buy into it and it becomes an essentially spontaneous, self-perpetuating movement."

The human rights approach becomes national policy

In Senegal, many government agencies and non-governmental groups have been working since 1999 to encourage FGM/C abandonment by a variety of means – many of them judgmental. But that is about to change. In February 2010 the government launched a new 2010-2015 Action Plan to End Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting. What is different about Senegal's new plan is that it establishes the human rights approach to ending FGM/C as government policy. Implementation will be based on three major steps: empowerment through education for the people themselves; organized diffusion of information whereby the people reach out to their social networks; and public declarations of abandonment of the practice. Ten United Nations agencies have published a statement endorsing this approach.
The reason Tostan has been so successful is that the decision to abandon FGM/C is not being imposed on anyone from outside. People are coming to this decision on their own, because they now have information and have been empowered to act. According to Molly Melching, this is a sign of true development. "Development is the ability of people to make the best decisions for themselves based on correct information," she says.                       

A Poem about Module 7

In the early days of Tostan, in 1988, Module 7 was the part of the Tostan curriculum that focused on human rights and women's health, including FGM/C. A woman participating in a class at that time wrote this poem in praise of Module 7. This is an excerpt.

Ah! Module 7!
You came to Ngaparu and chased away illness from our families
Come Module 7!
Help our Senegalese women know their rights,
Especially their right to health.
Help them to learn about their bodies.
You, women of Ngaparou
Share your knowledge with your daughters, Especially at puberty.
Speak to them about menstruation, about sexuality
Don't be ashamed any longer!
Women of Senegal, answer Module 7's call
And she will inform you about pregnancy,
Helping you to learn How to have a successful pregnancy.
Answer Module 7!
She will tell you about childbirth and the importance of planning your childbirth.
You will understand That Female Genital Cutting
is violence towards our daughters
So you will stop and ask our sisters and brothers
To abandon such harmful traditional practices!

Taking Female Genital Mutilation/ Cutting Out of the Cultural Mosaic of Kenya

April 22, 2010
By Janet Jensen


NAIROBI — When Lina Kilimo ran for the Kenya Parliament in 2002 on a platform of peace, development and ending female genital mutilation/cutting, her opponents claimed that as an uncircumcised woman, she was unfit to hold office.
She said they were amazed that she was bold enough to speak out frankly on such a sensitive issue. But she turned culture to her advantage, invoking a myth that if you want to end fighting between groups, you should send an uncircumcised girl to make peace.
The fact that she won, and is now one of the sponsors of legislation to expand legal sanctions against FGM/C, which was once almost universally practised in her Marakwet community, is one indication that attitudes toward the practice are shifting in Kenya.
"Now girls see that they can be uncut and even become a Member of Parliament," she said.

Persistance amidst change

FGM/C was traditionally practised in all but five of Kenya's 43 ethnic groups. Its prevalence is diminishing countrywide, especially among younger, more urban and more educated women. Latest data (preliminary reports of the 2008-2009 Demographic and Health Survey) show that FGM/C has declined from from 38 per cent in 1998 to 27.1 per cent. The statistics for younger girls are more encouraging: Data show that nearly half of women ages 45-49 had been cut compared to only 15 per cent of those age 15-19.
But the practice, condemned by international organizations as well as the Kenya government, is still nearly universal in some communities, including among the Kisii, Maasai, Somali, Samburu and Kuria ethnic groups. It is often considered a prerequisite for a good marriage. Newspapers occasionally carry stories about groups of young women being forced to undergo FGM/C, or leaving home to escape the practice.
FGM/C has been entrenched in some of these communities for centuries. But the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme is aiming for its abandonment in Kenya, and in 16 other countries, in a generation. Perhaps nowhere is the task more complex than in Kenya's patchwork of varied cultures, traditions, ethnic groups, religions, languages and social norms.
Within the country, the practice ranges from relatively mild excision or prick performed by traditional circumciser or under medical supervision, to a brutal cutting away of the external sexual organs, followed by binding of the legs to form a scar that serves as a physical barrier to sexual penetration.

Different approaches in different contexts

Interventions need to be strategically targeted, based on the specific meanings associated with it in different communities, according to Christine Ochieng, the National Coordinator of the programme for UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund. "One form of intervention will not work everywhere in this country," she said. "It depends on why they do it."
Among the Maasai, Meru, Marakwet and other ethnic groups, the practice is embedded within an elaborate ritual of initiation into womanhood. Among the outlawed Mungiki sect of the Kikuyu, the practice signifies a return to pre-Colonial traditions, and is sometimes forced on women as a form of intimidation or retaliation. For the Abugisii, the practice is usually performed under medical supervision and confers social standing and prestige. Among the ethnic Somalis in the North East Province who submit young girls to the most severe form, the practice is associated with religion, culture and chastity. Hygiene, beautification, tradition and honour are other reasons cited in a number of communities. It is practiced by Christians, Moslems and animists.
Almost everywhere, FGM/C is linked to fear and control of female sexuality. "So many reasons are given, sometimes they hide behind culture, sometimes behind religion," said Zeinab Ahmed, who runs the Joint Programme in the country's North East Province. "In the end, it's all about controlling women."

Tremendous pressure to conform

In groups where prevalence is 90 per cent or more, pressure to conform to social norms is fierce, and defying them can mean a kind of social death. The difficulty in getting parents to abandon it is they believe they are acting in their child's best interest. "They don't mean to harm their children," said Professor Margaret Kamar, another Member of Parliament who actively opposes FGM/C and is one of the sponsors of the new legislation against it. "Everyone wants the best for their children. Many mothers fear their girls will be excommunicated from society."
Social exclusion is a more immediate and tangible threat than punishment under the law. "Right now, female genital mutilation is not outlawed for women above 18 years. It is prohibited under the Children's Act of 2001, but that only protects girls under 18," said Christine, who is working with parliamentarians on the new law. The Children's Act, which is currently being reviewed, also has a number of loopholes and has rarely resulted in serious punishment. In any case, laws cannot generally be enforced unless they enjoy significant community support.
The proposed new bill could help the increasing number of girls and women who do not want to submit to the practice, said Christine. It can also send a signal that social norms are changing, bring the subject out into the open and give cover to parents or girls who don't want to go through it.
"The new law will help girls to say 'no', and make people think twice. But we really have to bring ownership to the community, otherwise it will just go underground," said Ms. Kilimo.
Community dialogue and ownership of the decision to abandon FGM/C is, in fact, the core strategy of the Joint Programme.

Working from within cultures

The strategy recognizes that real change needs to come from within communities themselves, through a process of dialogue and debate, in which individuals, empowered with information, have an opportunity to challenge social norms. The aim is to leverage social dynamics, which are constantly in flux.
Information about the medical and psychological harm the practice can cause can help inform such dialogues, as can discussions of human rights. These discussions often take place over weeks or months, and address FGM/C not as a standalone issue – which can create suspicion and resistance — but within a broader context of health, human rights and gender-based violence. The Joint Programme, in partnership with the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Development and other partners, has trained more than 400 community facilitators on how to carry out dialogues (see box below) that eventually encourage communities to recognize that FGM/C violates a girl's rights.
However, getting people to give priority to such issues can be a difficult sell, especially in Kenyan communities that are still reeling from the shock of the 2007/ 2008 post-election violence, an increasing number of weather-related crises, and food and water shortages.
After four years of drought, as many as a third of Kenya's nomadic pastoralists have lost all their livestock and been forced to settle down on the outskirts of town, without skills that translate well into a different economy. With their very survival at stake, abandoning FGM/C is not a priority for many. "FGM/C is the last thing on their minds, so they ask, 'Why bother about it?' " said Zeinab.

Public declarations give people permission to change

But there have been some notable successes. One hallmark of success is a community-wide declaration announcing to the world that social conventions have changed. Last August, at a large ceremony held in a public stadium, the powerful Meru elders from 12 regions signed a document affirming the total abandonment of FGM/C in their territories.
The declaration came a day after 364 girls graduated from an initiation ceremony – an alternative rite of passage without FGM/C – conducted by the Catholic Diocese of Meru. Similar alternative rites are being carried out in other communities as well, as a way to maintain important cultural rituals and values, while rejecting the harmful element.
Professor Kamar was enthusiastic about a Marakwet graduation ceremony she had attended in Narok. The ceremony followed a week-long period of seclusion during which girls were taught, in the traditional way, about sexuality, dealing with men, and expectations of them as women. "Everything but the cut," as she put it. Going through this coming-of-age process honoured the tradition as it conferred status on the girls, she said.
"We want to do away with the cut, but maintain other parts of the process that people value and support," said Professor Kamar. While the first 'no-cut' initiation attracted only a small group of girls, the second attracted 130 girls from several villages, she said. The ceremony was a powerful one she said, with the girls emerging from their no-cut initiation looking beautiful and parents weeping to see their girls suddenly transformed into women.
"It's not just about the cut, it's about maturing into womanhood," she said.