DEALING WITH FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a practice whose origin and significance is shrouded in ambiguity and mystification. World Health Organisation (WHO) defined it as all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external genitalia or other injury to the female genital organ for non-medical reasons. This dangerous tradition and women’s right violation has been so widespread that, many still erroneously see it as a form of cultural identity.
Though still practiced in more than 28 countries in Africa and a few scattered communities worldwide, the burden of FGM is seen in Nigeria, Egypt, Mali, Eritrea, Sudan, Central African Republic, and Northern part of Ghana where it has been an old traditional and cultural practice of various ethnic groups. FGM is also said to persist amongst immigrant populations living in Western Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand.
Nigeria, due to its large population, has the highest absolute number of female genital mutilation worldwide, accounting for about one-quarter of the estimated 115-130 million circumcised women in the world. The Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) 2013 showed a prevalence of FGM among adult women by geopolitical zone to be highest in the South-West with 56.9 per cent; South-East 40.8 per cent; South-South 34.7 per cent; North-Central 9.6 per cent; North-East 1.3 per cent; and NorthWest 0.4 per cent.
As reported in the NDHS, 45 out of every 100 adult women living in Lagos State for instance have undergone FGM at one time or another. This is largely due to migration from those states where the prevalence is much higher.
It is a sad irony that the southern states that have higher literacy levels are also the most involved in this primitive socio-cultural practice. Reasons range from a belief that it reduces sexual desire and promiscuity; promotes chastity and helps young ladies attract husbands early. It is also wrongly ascribed to religious beliefs and traditional norms of female rites of adulthood. This has regrettably done more harm than good.
Positive side of the advocacy to stamp out the scourge is the buying-in of policymakers and influencers especially in recent time. In most states today, wives of our governors are the faces of the fight against the scourge. This is to tell us that we are not in a hopeless situation of totally eradicating the barbaric women violation.
From informed religious perspective, none of the three main monotheistic faiths – Judaism, Christianity and Islam – prescribe female circumcision. Even if they do, should religion be indifferent to a cruel and barbaric practice? Evidently, proof people hold on to as religious verdict to engage in the practice is also rooted in culture and not divine injunction per se. Meanwhile, culture itself, is not static but it is on constant flux, adapting and reforming. In other words, man creates culture in the first instance before culture started to create man.
To discerning minds, promiscuity largely stems from orientation rather than the non-tampering with the female genitals. So, knowledge about the problems could help people take appropriate decisions and act in accordance with decisions taken. As of now, much of the accumulated knowledge about FGM and fistula indicates that FGM and fistula have negative health implications. Worse, medical experts and studies by WHO, UNICEF and other world bodies assert that, unlike male circumcision, FGM has no medical benefits whatsoever. On the other hand, says the UN Population Fund, “FGM does irreparable harm. It can result in death through severe bleeding, pain and trauma and overwhelming infections.” WHO adds that it also results in problems with urinating, could cause cysts, infections, infertility and complications in childbirth. “Women with FGM are significantly more likely than those without FGM to have adverse obstetrics outcomes including: prolonged or obstructed labour, obstetric fistula, postpartum (after delivery) haemorrhage and extended maternal hospital stay.
For the infants, young girls and women who are subjected to the dehumanising practice; it is routinely traumatic and has been linked to cervical cancer, a major killer of Nigerian women. At the same time, it is more often also undertaken by local birth attendants or untrained “surgeons” using crude and un-sterilised instruments. It is reported that FGM victims go through extremely painful menstrual periods when they reach puberty and painful sex in marriage.
Given these points, FGM constitutes violence against women and it is about time it is stoutly resisted and completely eradicated just same way culture of killing of twins was done.
Rasak Musbau, Lagos State Ministry of Information and Strategy, Alausa, Lagos