Support for Female Circumcision Declining in Egypt

July 10, 2009 By Rose Hoban The history of female circumcision, also called female genital cutting or mutilation, is unclear. Some say it's a religious requirement for Islamic women, while others point out that the practice pre-dates the spread of Islam. The practice is controversial in many countries. Westerners decry the practice, yet, it persists in many African and Islamic countries because of strong cultural support. Now, new research finds the practice is losing support in one large country - Egypt. In that country, historical evidence indicates that female cutting has been done since the time of the pharaohs. Traditionally, it's been seen as a requirement to make girls marriageable. But the current government in Egypt banned female circumcision in the 1990s and strengthened the restriction in 2007 after a high-profile case where a 12-year-old girl died after the ritual. However, female circumcision is still widespread, says Ann Way, a researcher with the organization Measure DHS, which has been collecting information on the practice since 1995. "The prevalence of circumcision among ever-married women at that point was over 90 percent," Way says. Measure DHS helps countries calculate vital statistics by doing large surveys, often repeated over the course of years. Way and her colleagues asked women about female circumcision again in 2000, and most recently, last year. She says they are starting to see a reduction in the number of young women who have been circumcised. "We have seen the rates drop from over 90 [percent] in older women, women aged 25 and older, to just around 80 percent in the age group 15 to 19," she says. Influential leaders raising questions The government ban, along with the well-publicized deaths, led some people - most importantly women and religious leaders - to start questioning the practice. "I think the government and, you know, a number of other organizations have clearly been supporting campaigns which have been directed towards changing people's support for circumcision," Way says. "You know, at the time of our first survey in 1995, where we looked at the percentage supporting female circumcision, wanting the practice to continue, about eight in 10 ever-married women at that point wanted the practice to continue. In the most recent survey it was only about six in 10 women." Interestingly, fewer wealthy girls and women currently have the practice performed on them. Only about a third of girls in the wealthiest 20 percent of Egypt's population will be circumcised by the time they're 18. In contrast, in the poorest 20 percent, about three-quarters of the girls will end up circumcised. Way says attitudes and practices change slowly. She says even if fewer girls are circumcised, it will take time for the total number of adult women who have been circumcised to drop. Her data is published on the Measure DHS Web site.

Catalan Police in Crusade to Educate Ethnic Minorities about Genital Mutilation

July 9, 2009 By Gabrielle Devon THANKS to members of Cataluña’s regional police force, the Mossos d’Esquadra, during 2008, 104 girls living in the region were prevented from going through the suffering caused by genital mutilation, a practice carried out mainly in African and Asian countries. Since 2000, the Mossos have contacted the families of girls whom they consider could be at risk of having to undergo this practice, considering their country of origin and the fact that they may not have abandoned this type of tradition. They explain the dangers involved, dissuading them from returning to their countries of origin for the mutilation to be performed or from having it carried out by clandestine witchdoctors residing in Spain. The parents are also informed that, in Spain, this practice is considered a crime punishable by law. According to the regional government, in Cataluña alone, there are more than 13,000 girls at risk and 4,846 of them are under the age of 19. Their objective to prevent female genital mutilation (FGM) is unique in Europe and has prevented almost 100 cases per year since it began. Last year, 300 officers took a special course to learn more about FGM and recently a delegation travelled to Gambia to provide information on site to families there, even managing to get one community to promise not to carry out any more genital mutilations. Many of the families living in Spain apparently don’t want to carry it out, but upon returning to their countries of origin they feel pressured into it by their society. Many communities believe that it is good for a woman’s health, maintaining cleanliness as there are no sexual secretions. Others believe that if a child touches its mother’s clitoris while being born, it will die. However, it is mainly used to prevent young girls from having sexual urges and maintain their virginity until marriage, something which guarantees they will be accepted. Many women allow the procedure as it is believed it will pleasure their partners and guarantee a successful marriage. The origin of female genital mutilation is unknown and although it is carried out in many Moslem countries, it is not related to Islam or any other known religion. There are several types of FGM, but all procedures involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia. In some cases there is a narrowing of the vaginal orifice as well as cutting of the clitoris, labia minora and/or labia majora, which are then held together using thorns or stitching. In some cases the girl’s legs are tied together for two to six weeks, to prevent her from moving and to allow healing. This can be reversed to allow sexual intercourse or when undergoing labour, which becomes extremely difficult and painful, and can result in tearing and death of the child if the canal is not opened sufficiently. A study surprisingly revealed that the majority of women who have been subjected to this extreme sexual mutilation claim to experience sexual desire, pleasure and orgasm, in spite of their being culturally bound to hide these experiences. Egypt has passed a law banning FGM. Sheikh Ali Gomaa stated: “The traditional form of excision is a practice totally banned by Islam because of the compelling evidence of the extensive damage it causes to women’s bodies and minds.”

Despite efforts to curb female genital cutting, there is a very slow change of heart in Afar

Posted on June 29, 2009 AMREF News Over the past 10 years, hundreds of little girls have passed through the heavily veined hands of Asiya Harbu. Her fingers are long and slender, the nails short, but while a woman’s hands are often gentle and reassuring, a channel of love and nurture, hers have brought unspeakable pain and gross disfigurement to her fragile charges. Asiya Harbu, 45 a traditional circumciser from Sabwe Kebele ward in Awash, AfarAsiya, 45, is a traditional circumciser. She lives in Sabwe Kebele (ward) in Awash, a district in Ethiopia’s vast Afar Region. Asiya doubles up as a traditional birth attendant, and if the baby is a girl, she is the one who will circumcise her. As early as two weeks after the birth, the girl’s mother invites her to perform the operation, holding down the screaming infant to enable Asiya to do her work. There is no anaesthesia. Female genital cutting (FGC) is widespread in Ethiopia, with 73 per cent of women having been through it. But the figure is much higher in Afar, which records a 91 per cent practice rate. Efforts by various organisations to get communities to abandon it have borne little fruit. “There are deep social and cultural reasons for endurance of the practice,” says Samuel Hailu, AMREF's Programme Officer for Reproductive Health in Ethiopia. “Some people believe that it will protect girls against rape, and prevent them from becoming promiscuous by reducing their sexual urges. Others do it for health and aesthetic reasons. They say that the genital area looks better and is cleaner after the operation.” He adds: “There is also a strong belief that FGC is an Islamic religious requirement, although there is a disagreement between religious leaders over this. Some see the campaign against FGC as the western world’s attempt to dilute their way of life, and others say it should be stopped because it has no basis in Islam. Yet even those who speak out against it still have their daughters circumcised. Pressure from society in general ensures that FGC thrives. An uncircumcised girl and her family are stigmatised by the community, and no man will marry her.” Hailu has written a paper on why female genital cutting persists in the Afar Region despite all interventions. “There are strong forces of demand and supply,” he observes. “Mothers and grandmothers decide when the girl is to go through it – between infancy and adolescence – and then force her to go. On the other hand, it is a source of livelihood for the circumcisers, who are paid either in cash or kind. When they are asked to stop doing it, they demand compensation.” One circumciser who was offered goats to rear as an alternative source of income asked: “Why should I bother keeping animals when I can earn a living by cutting girls?” The World Health Organisation defines female genital mutilation, alternatively known as female genital cutting or female circumcision, as “all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons”. It has no health benefits but instead interferes with the natural function of girls' and women's bodies. In Ethiopia, the age-old custom is carried out in varying forms. Infibulation, the severest kind involving excision of the external genitalia and sealing of the vaginal opening, is the practice in Awash, where Asiya lives. Clitoridectomy involves removal of the clitoris and labia minora without the stitching. The mildest version is sunna – chopping off of the tip of the clitoris and its protective covering. All methods put the girl in grave danger. Immediate consequences include severe pain, shock, excessive bleeding, difficulty in passing urine, infection, psychological trauma and even death. In the long term, the victims suffer decreased sexual enjoyment, chronic pain, recurrent bladder and urinary tract infections, cysts, scarring, and infertility. Women who have undergone genital mutilation are more likely to have complications at childbirth, leading to caesarean section deliveries and heavy loss of blood. The fact that most women deliver outside the hospital means there are many deaths of both mothers and their babies. Dr Teshome Kassaye, a gynaecologist employed by AMREF at the Awash Health Centre, first has to cut through the scar tissue of the stitched labia of the women who come to the centre for delivery. “If she gives birth at home, which is the case for many women, the traditional birth attendant cuts her open with a jillie, a large, curved hunting knife owned by the woman’s husband. Sometimes the baby spontaneously tears the lips open,” says Teshome. Despite the pain and injury, despite the deaths and disability, female genital mutilation persists in Afar. It persists despite a law prohibiting the practice in Ethiopia, and despite activities by numerous non-governmental organisations to discourage it. AMREF has been working with the government in Afar since 2007 to improve reproductive health by reducing female genital mutilation, HIV, sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancies, and the deaths of mothers and children. Joint workshops for community health workers and female circumcisers where candid discussions are held are beginning to bear fruit, albeit very small fruit. Asiya has attended a few of these sessions, and knows quite well the consequences of female genital cutting. “I have been told what the dangers are to the girls. I know that when she is growing up, sex is a problem because she gets hurt and bleeds. Giving birth is also difficult and could result in a fistula, making her unable to control how her urine flows. Many girls have died because of complications. I was doing it because it is our culture, and it gives the girls respect in the society. But now things are changing. I want to concentrate on being a traditional birth attendant.” Other circumcisers say they too would like to stop, but people continue to bring their daughters to them. Fear of prosecution has forced some of them to ply their trade in secret, but poor law enforcement mechanisms and lack of awareness make the law largely ineffective. A police officer in Afar said he had heard that FGC had been criminalised in the Ethiopian law, but did not know what to do about it. “We don’t have a copy of the document and we are not sure on what legal grounds we can take measures against those who practise it.” AMREF’s strategy to speed up progress in the campaign includes pushing for enforcement of relevant laws, and developing alternative ways for circumcisers to earn income. Furthermore, AMREF is also involving the community in designing relevant and effective activities to deter the practice and coordinating activities of all NGOs working in this field in Afar.

Viewing Female Genital Mutilation with the Legal Eye

July 9, 2009

Several domestic and international legislations have been passed outlawing this practice - how far would it go in protecting women from tradition?

As the world generally advances in age, technological breakthroughs are recorded and democratic governance is gradually accepted and deeply ingrained in the fabric of every human society, people everywhere are becoming more enlightened about the need to stop the practice of certain cultural traditions and conventions which were hitherto accepted or at least tolerated. These are practices that have been identified as being detrimental to any human good and brazenly border on barbarism. One of such practices is the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

To help in the fight, governments, legislators, human rights groups, the media and the legal practitioners are raising their voices against this heinous and most socially degrading practice meted on women. But how effective are these voices? Are they being heard?

Human rights activists and groups and the media have been successful in advancing legal arguments against FGM. The international community has taken a stand against this practice, creating international and domestic remedies that would lead to its eventual eradication. Laws that advance the cause for this much needed eradication include Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the African Charter on Human and peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), as well as several domestic statutes. Scores of prominent men and women from countries where FGM is practiced are making a global appeal that governments, international bodies and non-governmental organizations take more concentrated and concerted action to bring this practice to an end.

Silence and inaction concerning FGM are the best allies of this terrible practice that has already claimed the lives of several victims across the world. In February 2003, a conference tagged “Zero Tolerance” for FGM was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where it was observed that an intolerable number of women were mutilated and abused in the name of tradition; therefore the need to take a firm stand against this practice.

The United Nations General Assembly, in January 2002, adopted a resolution on traditional or customary practices affecting the health of women and girls. This resolution characterizes FGM as a serious threat to not only women, but to humanity at large. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and international and local non-governmental organizations often point to this resolution in their work. This resolution is also used by these organizations to hold governments accountable.

The contribution of CEDAW in the fight against FGM is monumental and worthy of note. It focuses on traditional practices which violate women and their human rights. Articles 1 and 5 of CEDAW specifically call for the elimination of discrimination against women based on cultural practices impairing women’s human rights and fundamental freedoms. This includes the need for the elimination of the practice of female circumcision.

In the same vein, the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) contains the only codified prohibition of female circumcision in human rights laws. Article 24 (3) of the CRC requires nations to abolish traditional practices that would jeopardize the health of children. The articles’ scope encompasses female circumcision although not specifically mentioned. The term “harmful traditional practices” as used in the Article is widely defined to include FGM.

Article 4 of the African Charter states that, “…human beings are inviolable. Every person shall be entitled to respect for his life and integrity of his person”.

Article 5 of the same Charter further states that “torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment or treatment shall be prohibited”. The purport of Article 16 is to the effect that every African is entitled to the highest level of physical and mental health. Female circumcision is clearly in violation of the terms of these Articles. If women are entitled to the highest level of health maintenance, female circumcision must be considered a violation of such rights.

In addition to the variety of international documents which provide a useful framework for banning female circumcision, a number of countries prohibit the practice. Burkina Faso, Great Britain, Sweden, Switzerland are among the countries that have responded to this abuse against women. Countries such as Canada, France, The Netherlands, Belgium, Australia and Switzerland punish the practice under child abuse laws, while Great Britain and Sweden have explicitly outlawed the procedure. African countries such as Cameroon, Djibouti, Egypt, Ghana and Sudan have also enacted legislations which prohibit female circumcision.

In June 1995, the United States House of Representatives passed the retired-Representative Schroeder’s Resolution, “Urging the president to help end the practice of female (circumcision) Worldwide”. However, it was not until September 30th, 1996 that the US Congress enacted a provision criminalizing the practice of FGM as part of the Illegal Immigration Reform Responsibility Act of 1996.

Nigeria is not left out in the campaign against FGM and the protection of the fundamental rights of women. FGM has been outlawed in four of its states – Edo, Cross-Rivers, Delta and Ogun covering some areas of the country where this practice is especially widespread. Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa States are reported to be close to passing similar laws. Chapter 4 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution guarantees that all citizens are entitled to equal rights, including women. The chapter enshrines fundamental human rights such as right to life, right to dignity of the human person, right to freedom from discrimination and a host of other rights.

The question that must be asked is; how effective are these legislations in curbing this evil and inhuman practice? Legislation serves as a framework by which FGM and other similar abuses will eventually be eliminated through the prescription and enforcement of penalties. But it must be noted that what is commonly known to the international community as FGM is indeed a cultural habit that has been learned over long periods of time, and as a popular saying puts it, “old habits die hard”. In this vein, punishment is not as effective as education and prevention. This cultural habit can be unlearned through proper enlightenment and awareness.

Where undue emphasis is placed on legislation and punishment, the end result can be counter productive as it might force the practice to go further underground. Women who have been battered may not seek medical care later in life because their parents might be charged; parents may be reluctant to take their mutilated children to the hospital if complications arise for fear of being criminally charged with child abuse.

In the 21st century, it is unfortunate that Female Genital Mutilation with its grave consequences on the health of women is still practiced. It is hoped that African governments in collaboration with countries world over will take proactive steps to end this practice. These steps as a matter of necessity and urgency should go beyond enacting legislations to educating people on the dangers of this heinous practice.

Genital mutilation is a crime against women

July 6, 2009

Editorial
Last week, there was encouraging news—two, in fact—with regard to the hideous practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). First was President Museveni’s impressive breadth of knowledge and informed analysis of the dangers of FGM as he launched a campaign against the practice in Nakapiripirit. Describing FGM as brutal and backward, Mr Museveni, in a fitting measure of bluntness, was quoted by the media as saying: “Can you even make an inch of that part you cut? If God made his engineering, who are you to destroy it?”

As the President was urging the communities—Sabiny and Pokot-- to stop FGM, Education Minister Namirembe Bitamazire was warning parents who allow their daughters to undergo genital mutilation and the surgeons who ‘operate’ young girls that they will be arrested.

Even as we await Parliament to enact a law banning FGM, it matters that measures are put in place to protect girls from undergoing this torturous practice, especially given that the circumcision period is next month. And it was impressive that Mr Museveni used terms that illustrated the dreadful practice, even pointing to a woman who was crippled as a result of FGM. The health implications of FGM on women are life-long, largely as a result of the crude and humiliating procedure that involves either removing the clitoris or cutting away all of the woman’s external genitalia--often carried out in non-sterile conditions using basic household implements.

Yet statistics indicate that more than 100 million women worldwide have undergone this culturally sanctioned brutality that violates human rights norms. It incapacitates women’s chances of enjoying a healthy marital relationship. Studies show that FGM raises the likelihood of mother and baby dying as a result of childbirth-related complications. And there is the psychological pain.

As the campaign to ban the practice gets underway, there will be stiff resistance from communities who consider FGM a vital cultural obligation. That is why health experts must sensitise communities on the risks; NGOs should, through local support groups, be ready to confront hurdles in trying to change people’s attitudes.

All of this will require laws in place and strong commitment to implement them. It is Uganda’s obligation, under the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, to prevent and punish violence against women.

Uganda to Outlaw Female Circumcision

July 3, 2009 KAMPALA (AFP) — Uganda will pass a law banning female genital mutilation, which is rampant among pastoralist tribes in the country's eastern region, the president said in a statement Friday. "The way God made it, there is no part of a human body that is useless," President Yoweri Museveni told a gathering in the eastern Karamoja district. "Now you people interfere with God's work. Some say it is culture. Yes, I support culture but you must support culture that is useful and based on scientific information," he added. Last year, the United Nations passed a resolution that called female genital mutilation a violation of the rights of women and said it constituted "irreparable, irreversible abuse." The resolution also said female circumcision increases the risk of HIV transmission, as well as maternal and infant mortality. The UN estimates that between 100 million to 140 million worldwide have undergone the practice. And her is the rest of it.

Uganda Education News: Education Ministry to start special interventions on FGM

July 2, 2009 The Minister of Education and Sports Geraldine Namirembe Bitamazire has promised parliament that her ministry will begin special interventions to tackle the problem of Female Genital Mutilation in the districts of Kapchorwa, Bukwo and Nakapiripiriti. Bitamazire says the ministry will start special sensitization programmes on the practice of FGM in the various schools in these districts such that the school going children can understand that FGM an undesirable cultural activity which needs to be stopped. She has told the Parliamentary Committee on Equal Opportunities which she was facing that her ministry will also find a special programme for the girls in the schools in these areas during the seasons of FGM. Bitamazire says for example during such periods the schools will be required to keep all girls in boarding such that these girls can escape FGM threats in those seasons. She says however to solve the problem of FGM, there is need for an inter- ministerial approach to tackling the problem. Bitamazire says for instance other ministries like the Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development, the Ministry of Health among others should also participate in the fight against FGM. And her is the rest of it.

Museveni Meets Subei Elders

July 2, 2009

By Vision Reporter

A LAW against female genital mutilation will soon be passed, President Yoweri Museveni has said.

Meeting elders from the Sebei region and opinion leaders at the Entebbe State House on Monday, the President hailed the leaders for educating wananchi about the dangers of the cultural practice which has affected the girl child in the area.

A statement quoted the President as saying the practice exposes women to complications at child birth.

Dr. Emmanuel Otaala, the state minister for labour and gender, recently said the Government is preparing a Bill to curb the practice.

The delegation, led by the deputy Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, presented a number of issues, including a ban of female genital mutilation to the President.

Museveni said in order to strengthen protection of the girl child against female genital mutilation, he would ask the authorities to deploy female Police officers throughout the region.

He assured the delegation of better allowances for medical workers in hardship areas, adding that more ambulances would be distributed and health centres renovated.

The President also said more power transformers would be installed in the area. And her is the rest of it.