FGM Has No Health Benefits, Only Harm

Girl children in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The country is the largest populace state on the African continent., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION: NO HEALTH BENEFITS, ONLY HARM

Sunday, 03 November 2013 14:57
By Bisi Alabi Williams
Nigerian Guardian

ELIZABETH Ali, a 29-year-old woman runs the Daughters of Eve Charity, which helps Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) victims and girls at risk of mutilation. Elizabeth was taken as a little girl to live with her grandmother after her mother’s death. As a young girl, she was very inquisitive, always wanting to know everything going on around her. While in the village with her grandmother, she was cut at the age of seven. And for her, that experience was a painful one. She told The Guardian how she fought so hard to avoid being cut. But grandmother insisted it was for her good and that every normal girl “does it.”

Although Elizabeth didn’t know the full implication of that experience then, now, she knows better, as she is living with the psychological trauma that followed. Now, she is an anti-FGM advocate and is helping to create awareness as well as fighting the practice in her own way. “The practice should be out rightly banned for lack of merit. Surprisingly, it is still shrouded in silence. I am a living witness of the damage the practice has done to my life and marriage. So, what is Government still waiting for? We must protect our girls, and now is the time to do it? She queried.

FGM, she says, is a patriarchal cultural tradition carried out with the intent of subjugating women and controlling their bodies. “The practice serves to further oppress women, reinforcing the perpetuation of their marginalisation and inferior status in society. Male circumcision on the other hand is not rooted in a blatantly discriminatory ideology,” she said.

To her, the harmful health implications of FGM cannot in any way be compared to that of male circumcision. “While male circumcision is the removal of foreskin and does not affect the male sex organ itself, FGM damages the sex organs, inhibiting pleasure and causing severe pain and complications for women’s sexual and reproductive health.”

Elizabeth, who spoke out in a bid to prevent more girls from suffering the procedure, which she described as a cultural rite that typically includes the total or partial excision of the female external genitalia and especially the clitoris and labia minora and that is now outlawed in many nations of the world.

Who is at risk?

Social acceptance and preservation of virginity are the most commonly cited reasons for female genital mutilation in most countries, among men as well as women. The procedure is mostly carried out on young girls between infancy and age 15, and occasionally on adult women.

According to the United Nations, the practice of FGM is an ugly phenomenon of violence against women, which impacts seriously on their personal security, survival and development and it can bring serious health risks. It describes it as a human rights violation.

About 140 million girls and women worldwide are living with the consequences of FGM. In Africa, about 101 million girls aged 10 years and above are estimated to have undergone FGM. The practice is most common in the western, eastern, and northeastern regions of Africa, in some countries in Asia and the Middle East, and among migrants from these areas. Where FGM is a social convention, the social pressure to conform to what others do and have been doing is a strong motivation to perpetuate the practice.

Available statistics, media reports and cases that are reported to the police and women’s groups providing support services, reveal that there is an increase in incidences of violence against women. The incidence of female Genital mutilation is not abating, and appears to take new forms in view of modernisation and economic crisis, which, produce and reproduce inequalities in both the private and public spaces. Further, conceptualised dichotomies of these spaces seem to dictate the pace of governmental action or inaction and undermine efforts aimed at combating violence against women and girls.

Despite the perceived risks, the cutting of young girls continues in some countries and ethnic groups, despite decades-long efforts to eliminate it — and despite the fact that laws banning female genital mutilation at all ages have been passed in the majority of African nations. In some communities, it is seen as a religious requirement, while in others it’s dictated by tradition.

A UNICEF report on FGM shows that the “prevalence is highest among some religious groups in many countries of the world including Nigeria. The practice is also found among other religious communities. Cutting is nearly universal in Somalia, Guinea, Djibouti and Egypt, according to the report, but affects only one in 100 girls and women in Cameroon and Uganda. Some girls undergo the practice while still babies, while others are cut as young girls or in their teens. The degree of harm inflicted by the practice also varies across communities.

Here in Nigeria, Benin, Central African Republic, Iraq and Liberia, adolescent girls are about half as likely to have been cut as women aged 45 to 49. In Kenya and Tanzania, women aged 45 to 49 are about three times more likely to have been cut than girls age 15 to 19, UNICEF found. They include Burkina Faso and Ethiopia and, to a lesser extent, Egypt, Eritrea, Guinea, Mauritania and Sierra Leone, the report said. It also highlighted a gap between the support among women for female genital mutilation and its prevalence.

“In Somalia, Eritrea, Niger, Djibouti and Senegal, more than one in five girls have undergone the most radical form of the practice, known as infibulation, which involves the cutting and sewing of the genitalia,” the report said. The downward trend in the practice is most marked in countries where it is less prevalent, the report said.

Baba Alade, a 68-year-old traditional attendant, who claimed he has cut thousands of female children in his lifetime, most of whom he may never know or meet told The Guardian that circumcision is often considered a necessary part of raising a girl properly, and a way to prepare her for adulthood and marriage. It is motivated by the belief of what is considered “proper sexual behaviour”. He linked the procedures to premarital virginity and marital fidelity.

FGM is in many communities believed to reduce a woman’s libido and therefore help her resist “illicit” sexual acts. When a vaginal opening is covered or narrowed the fear of the pain of opening it, and the fear that this will be found out, is expected to further discourage “illicit” sexual intercourse among these women.

He explained that female circumcision is associated with cultural ideals of femininity and modesty, which include the notion that girls are “clean” and “beautiful” after removal of body parts that are considered “male” or “unclean”. He said though no religious scripts prescribe the practice, practitioners often believe the practice has religious support. He acknowledged that religious leaders take varying positions with regard to FGM; while some promote it, some consider it irrelevant and others contribute to its elimination.

Responding to questions on the need for circumcision, a cross section of female respondents who have undergone the practice told The Guardian that they didn’t see the need or importance of practice of circumcision. Many feel frustrated to have undergone such harrowing experience in the hands of the “merciless cutters.” Others see it as barbaric and obsolete. Some respondents were indifferent, saying it was a cultural practice; hence it should not be condemned. They argued that culture should be blamed, rather than anyone in particular. Majority, however, condemned the practice and felt it should be stopped

But whether female circumcision is good or bad, the pertinent question to ask is: Why are women circumcised? Is it tradition, culture, lifestyle, religion or simply societal norm or requirement? Why would a mother willingly allow cutters to cut her daughter all in the name of circumcision?

In some societies, women are the ones saddled with the task of undertaking the exercise and more often than not, they even champion the practice. Yet, there are those, who do not see any benefit in the practice. There is another category, which blames mothers for allowing their daughters to be cut in the name of societal expectations.

Giving women a voice

On the need to give African women a voice, a recent study revealed that many mothers, who oppose the practice still have their daughters cut because of societal expectations, indicating that “efforts to end the practice need to go beyond a shift in individual attitudes and address entire communities.”

The study also found that efforts by the many agencies campaigning for change are differentiated for various ethnic groups, some of which cross national boundaries, since cutting is much more common in some groups than others. It explained that men and boys, as well as girls should be encouraged to talk about the practice.

“This is especially important since the data indicate that girls and women tend to consistently underestimate the share of boys and men who want FGM to end. Another factor in eliminating cutting is promoting education and exposure to other communities, it added, with urban, wealthier and more educated families less likely to impose the practice on their daughters.”

Dr. Opeyemi Ogunaike, a Medical Practitioner, Ultima Clinics, Palm Grove, Lagos said FGM comprises all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. Traditional circumcisers, who often play other central roles in communities, such as attending childbirths, mostly carry out the practice.

“FGM is recognised internationally, as a violation of the human rights of girls and women. It reflects deep-rooted inequality between the sexes, and constitutes an extreme form of discrimination against women. It is nearly always carried out on minors and is a violation of the rights of children. 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, and the right to life when the procedure results in death,” she said.

She explained that the practice is prescribed in some cultures to prevent women from promiscuous activity. In some other cultures, it is seen as a way of life of the people. “As a medical practitioner, I can say that the way the cutting is done and the hygiene of it is not right. It is something that should be discouraged in its totality. In fact, there is no justification for the practice. This is because complications often arise.

“In some cultures, the shell of the snail is used to carry out the procedure. So, it is not hygienic enough. Often times, the young girl or the grown woman is left alone to suffer her fate. Some bleed to death, some do not. If the girl survives, she may never enjoy sexual intercourse in marriage. It may also lead to complications during childbirth.

“FGM has no health benefits, and it harms girls and women in many ways. It involves removing and damaging healthy and normal female genital tissues. And this interferes with the natural functions of girls and women’s bodies. Immediate complications can include severe pain, shock, bleeding, tetanus or sepsis (bacterial infection), urine retention, open sores in the genital region and injury to nearby genital tissues,” she said.

In her view, the so–called promiscuity tendency in young girls could be effectively checked through sex education. For instance, early moral or religious education can help to keep young girls in check. Such training will encourage the girl to keep herself until marriage. Public enlightenment in various communities and villages will go a long way in informing parents, who ignorantly send their daughters for such cutting. As time goes on, they will understand that they are doing more harm than good.

According to Dr. Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, a lawyer, feminist and scholar/activist, there is an increase in violations of human rights of women, especially under the pretext of customary and religious laws applicable in Nigeria, which is heavily weighted against women. While women’s rights are not respected in law and in practice, harmful traditional practices that constitutes gender-based violence such as female genital mutilation, early and forced marriage, widowhood practices, denial of inheritance and property rights to women and girls is highly prevalent.

“For many years, women in Nigeria have voiced concern about the laws and the legal system. NGOs providing services to women have identified problems with the laws on domestic violence, rape, maintenance, inheritance, and the sexual reproductive health and rights of women. The reality is that women have been largely rendered invisible in the legal system and the laws upon which they must rely have historically been formulated and applied by men and are not informed by the genuine needs of women.

“Meanwhile, Chapter II of the 1999 Constitution on Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy protecting socio-economic and cultural rights are deemed as non-justiciable, notwithstanding the fact that those provisions contained therein are amongst the most important rights to women’s survival and empowerment. The question begging for answers, therefore, is: How can the state protect the girl child from this abusive tendency?”

She said the fact of the matter is that there is no comprehensive law of national application for combating violence against women in all its forms. The absence of enabling legal environment means that victims and survivors of violence against women have little or no recourse to justice.

She commended some states such as Edo, Ekiti, Bayelsa, Delta, Rivers, Cross River, Imo, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi and Oyo that have enacted gender specific laws prohibiting some forms of violence (FGM, Child/Early Marriage, Trafficking, Safe Motherhood and Widow’s Rights Protection). Sadly, however, a majority of states have taken no action to combat violence against women.

Support Mechanisms

The situation is worsened by the absence of a comprehensive legislative measure that has a wide application throughout the federation. This has continued to contribute to the sustained practice of violence against women and pose extreme hardship for victims and, sometimes, their families.

The government, intergovernmental agencies and other donor organisations should be committed to combating VAW through appropriate and adequate support to relevant organisations to embark on social and legislative advocacy needed to pursue a bill on violence against women that will provide just and effective remedies to victims.

If the Nigerian society is serious about checking the menace, harm and pain of FGM, all hands must be put on deck to urgently address the governmental support services for reintegration and rehabilitation of victims, facilities that are virtually non-existent despite the fact that the Nigerian government signed and ratified the United nations Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Protocol on African Charter on Women’s Rights. Presently, there are only a very few NGOs that run shelter and other support services for battered women and victims/survivors of sexual assault e.g. WACOL, Enugu office and Project Alert, Lagos.

A few non-governmental organisations such as BAOBAB, FIDA, the WACOL, WARDC, WRAPA, CIRDDOC and LEDAP amongst others have been providing free legal aid services across the country for women whose rights have been abused. Other mainstream human rights organisation such as CLO, CRP, HURILAWS, Human Rights Monitor and PRAWA provide similar services for women in a much lower scale throughout the country. While this intervention is commendable, there is still an urgent need for a concerted action towards eliminating Violence Against Women in Nigeria.