Photo: Heba Aly/IRIN
In the town of Malicounda Bambara, population of around 3,000, a large crowd gathered on 5 August to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the day that the community publicly stated its commitment to abolish female genital mutilation (FGM). The declaration, which was officially made on July 31, 1997, made headlines around the world, however fears run heavy for some as stories of FGM continue a decade later.
As one woman told IRIN, “They haven't really abandoned the practice,” she said of the women of Malicounda Bambara. “The same women who are publicly declaring it has been abandoned are continuing to cut,” she said. The woman told IRIN that a young girl was circumcised in the village only one week before the anniversary celebrations. ‘IRIN also spoke to 14-year-old Mariama Ba who said she had been circumcised in Malicounda just four years ago.’ Some in the international NGO community note that these abuses of FGM are hideous crimes, and see the ban as a failure. Others note that any decrease in FGM is a step forward, and that much of the FGM that continues, occurs from outside influences and those who are committed to the abolishment of FGM remain as such. Regardless of your stance on the issue, it is one that is not easily won, and a full abolition of FGM will be a long time in the making.
FGM can be the partial or full removal of the external genitalia. FGM can often be fatal, especially when done in none sanitary condition, and/or by non-medically trained persons, which can often cause excessive bleeding, transmission of disease, or shock. The complications and long term effects of FGM, can include; pain, infertility, difficulties in child birth, trouble with menstruation or urination, problems and extreme pain with intercourse, lack of sexual desire, no sexual stimulation, and mental illness.
The law against FGM in Senegal specifies it is a criminal offense, resulting in imprisonment for 6 months to 5 years, and while the law is a positive step in the right direction, some have criticized the law as they believe programs to educate on the dangers of FGM, should have been more widespread prior to its implementation. Since July 1997, approximately 708 villages in Senegal have banned FGM, there is an estimated 5,500 villages in the country that continue to practiced FGM according to the US Department of State.2001 US State Department Report on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)/Female Genital Cutting (FGC) in Senegal.
While laws are a great step in the right direction to ending the practice of FGM once and for all, the banning of the practice alone is not enough to ensure the practice is abolished. Governments and NGO's must work together with community leaders, on all levels, to see that the entire community is adequately educated on the full facts of FGM, and the long term effects it has on a girls mental and physical health. The case in Malicounda Bambara, Senegal only illustrates the increasing need to both educate communities and promote legislation to ban and criminalize FGM.
Links:
Female Genital Mutilation , The Facts
Giving up on FGM: why a village midwife put down her scalpel
World Health Organization (WHO) – Female Genital Mutilation
Razor's Edge: The Controversy of Female Genital Mutilation
CHANGING A HARMFUL SOCIAL CONVENTION: FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION/CUTTING
USAID: A Tradition No Longer: Rethinking Female Circumcision in Africa
US Department of State: Senegal: Report on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) or Female Genital Cutting (FGC)
Tostan
Stop FMG/C