Day against female genital mutilation
What can we as a society do about it?
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Every year since 2003, February 6, as the “International Day against Female Genital Mutilation”, has been intended to draw attention to the fate of girls and women who are circumcised under the worst circumstances. The number of those affected is also growing in Germany, although FGM (“Female Genital Mutilation ’) recognized by the United Nations as a human rights violation in 1992. What does circumcision mean and how can supportive action be taken against it?
More and more women are being mutilated on the genitals. The procedure is carried out around 8,000 times a day with tools such as knives, razor blades or broken glass. According to the German Foundation for World Population (DSW), 200 million women worldwide were affected by female genital mutilation in 2018.
Female genital mutilation: what can we as a society do about it?
Almost five years later, in 2023, the number of suffering girls and women increases again. According to the UN, around 4.3 million girls are at risk of female genital mutilation this year. It can be assumed that the number of unreported cases far exceeds these figures. Why? The school closures during the corona pandemic took away important shelters from the girls and the prevailing misery, due to droughts or other natural disasters, put families in an awkward situation. The daughters’ marriage, which is easier to do with circumcision, has become an economic necessity, said Angela Bähr, deputy managing director of DSW. And we should live in an equal society?
Cultural identity as a justification for drastic rituals?
Religion is often used as a justification for this crime. However, no theological basis can be found. Here the emphasis is on the cultural identity of some tribes. The removal of the female sex organs, the clitoris and the vulva, serve the official ritual of transition from girl to woman.
Individual consequences of the procedure are diverse, including a risky pregnancy – after the removal of the sex organs, the rest of the labia is often sewn together, which means that the vaginal opening is too small for childbirth. This diminution also causes sex to become a torment. Due to the fact that the procedure is performed with non-sterile objects, there is a high risk of infection, the wound often becomes inflamed immediately after the circumcision is performed. The physical violence, which is often used against the will of the girl or woman, often causes mental illness. Behavioral disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorders or chronic anxiety become constant companions in everyday life.
A step towards equality: giving women a voice everywhere
Nimko Aliauthor and co-founder of two organizations, the NGOs “The Five Foundation” and “Daughters Eve”, spoke to Brigitte on this topic back in 2018. She herself was circumcised when she was only 7 years old and is campaigning, among other things, for the abolition of forced marriage and an equal health system. She explains that the first step is to make the problem visible to give those affected a voice if they don’t have one themselves Project Against female genital mutilation, young people use education to advocate an end to circumcision.
Sources used: Tagesschau, German Foundation for World Population, Deutschlandfunk, Plan International
