Today is the UN International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
Yesterday saw a prosecution that was the first of its kind in Britain and had been hailed as a landmark in the campaign to stamp out the illegal practice of FGM. Thus far, unbelievably, there has not been one conviction in Britain for FGM, however, what I fail to understand is why this particular case was brought before the court? It came as no surprise that Dr Dhanuson Dharmasena was found not guilty of performing FGM on woman who had just given birth, by a jury who took just 30 minutes to reach their verdict. From what I’ve read about the case, he was a young doctor who had never seen a case of FGM before and he was certainly was no perpetrator, so surely he should never have been prosecuted in the first place? He had been accused of illegally stitching a young mother back up after she gave birth, re-doing the mutilation she suffered as a six-year-old in Somalia. Surely the priority must be to educate physicians, not prosecute them?
So a marginal disaster for the FGM campaigners, but at least it’s going to help build further awareness by bringing the entire practice closer to the forefront of our collective pulse until suddenly everyone is going to get behind the campaign. Because of the sensitive and secretive nature of the mutilation, deeply rooted in culture, it is understandably a slow process, but we need to find more ways to talk about it and put practices in place to protect these girls from the lifelong consequences. I understand how difficult it is to bring a far more significant case to court – a viable prosecution ought to involve an underage girl who clearly cannot give informed consent, rather than an adult woman and the accused should be someone who clearly intended to perform FGM on that child, rather than a physician trying his best to carry out post-childbirth repairs.
Whilst FGM is recognised internationally as a violation of the human rights of girls and women, the problem of eradicating this practice is immense. It is carried out for cultural, religious and social reasons within families and communities and rooted in gender inequality and in attempts to control women’s sexuality. The practice is usually initiated and carried out by women, who see it as a source of honour and who fear that failing to have their daughters and granddaughters circumcised will expose the girls to social exclusion. Over 130 million women and girls have experienced FGM in the 29 countries in which it is concentrated. The United Nations Population Fund estimates that 20 per cent of affected women have been infibulated, a practice found largely in northeast Africa, particularly Djibouti, Eritrea, Somalia and northern Sudan. Anthropologists highlight the difficult questions the issue raises about about cultural relativism, tolerance and the universality of human rights. But honestly, if China has managed to eradicate the binding of women’s feet for cultural reasons then surely we should be doing the same for FGM?
Female genital mutilation (sometimes referred to as female circumcision) refers to procedures that intentionally alter or cause injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. The practice is illegal in the UK.
The Sunday Times has reported that there are 463 cases of female genital mutilation identified in English hospitals every month. It has been estimated that over 20,000 girls under the age of 15 are at risk of female genital mutilation (FGM) in the UK each year, and that 66,000 women in the UK are living with the consequences of FGM. However, the true extent is unknown, due to the “hidden” nature of the crime. The girls may be taken to their countries of origin so that FGM can be carried out during the summer holidays, allowing them time to “heal” before they return to school. There are also worries that some girls may have FGM performed in the UK.
The only truly effective strategy for eliminating FGM must be grounded in education and awareness-raising, not only within FGM-affected communities, but amongst their peers, the wider younger generation, parents and the professionals who work with such communities. These approaches require investments of time, funding, and persistence in order to succeed. Sex education in schools ought to include the issues surrounding FGM. Boys and girls need to work together here and make a stand. Men need to start standing up for their daughters and sisters, girlfriends and wives and insist that the practice must stop. All midwives need to be taught how to deal with women in labour who have had FGM. Removing and damaging healthy and normal female genital tissue interferes with the natural functions of girls’ and women’s bodies. Not only that, but during sex education we are taught, not only about the dangers of underage sex, but about the enjoyment of sex and what doesn’t often seem to be mentioned is that girls who have been cut clearly cannot enjoy sex for lots of reasons – mainly the pain, but I assume that it is impossible to achieve clitoral orgasm if you no longer have a clitoris.
FGM is usually carried out on young girls between infancy and the age of 15, most commonly before puberty starts.The procedure is traditionally carried out by a woman with no medical training. Anaesthetics and antiseptic treatments are not generally used, and the practice is usually carried out using knives, scissors, scalpels, pieces of glass or razor blades. Girls usually have to be forcibly restrained. In case you are not aware of the “procedures”, they can differ according to the ethnic group. They include removal of the clitoral hood and clitoral glans (the visible part of the clitoris), removal of the inner labia and in the most severe form (known as infibulation), removal of the inner and outer labia and closure of the vulva. In this last procedure, a small hole is left for the passage of urine and menstrual blood, and the vagina is opened for intercourse and opened further for childbirth. Health effects depend on the procedure, but can include recurrent infections, chronic pain, cysts, an inability to get pregnant, complications during childbirth and fatal bleeding. Unlike the arguments used for circumcising males, there are no known health benefits.
In February 2014, the UK government announced plans to part-fund a new study into how many women and girls living in England and Wales are affected by FGM. This was part of a wider commitment to preventing FGM during the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation. So has this been completed yet?
We need a plan of action and fast.
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