WUNRN
SOMALIA - ACTIVISTS LAUD CONSTITUTION BAN ON FGM/C, BUT CHALLENGE
IS IMPLEMENTATION
Aiming for abolition:
Photo: Siegfried Modola/IRIN
“The fact that the new provisional constitution outlaws the circumcision of
girls is a welcome development, but this will require education,
awareness-raising and strong legal provisions. Without this, the provision will
be little more than ink on a piece of paper,” Fatima Jibrell, a women’s
advocate, told IRIN.
The provisional constitution states, “Circumcision of girls is a cruel and
degrading customary practice, and is tantamount to torture. The circumcision of
girls is prohibited."
In
Hawa Abdi, a 23-year-old mother of two, was circumcised when she was 10. Today,
she lives in neighboring
“[Female] circumcision is painful and the problems it creates for you are there
until you die. You are robbed of your womanhood… Now parents who do not want
their daughters circumcised can say the law does not allow it,” she told IRIN.
Opposing the ban
Some, however, have issues with the new law.
Women in
“Many men and some women will oppose it on the ground of culture, Islam or
issues of chastity,” Jibrell said.
“We have had it [FGM/C] in our culture. The writers of the
constitution know it, and they are pretending to hate it. We can’t abandon
something that has helped our girls to stay pure,” Jirde, a Somali elder, told
IRIN in the Kenyan capital Nairobi.
“Our men will not have girls to marry because you can’t marry [an] uncircumcised
[woman] if you are a true Somali man. It is these people who give us money who
say you must ban circumcision and then we give money,” Jirde added.
Carrying out community empowerment programmes, raising awareness of the health
effects of the practice and delinking it from Islam, experts told IRIN, must
compliment the law, helping it avoid possible collision with deeply rooted
cultural beliefs.
“A lot is required … [to] work with the religious leaders … [for] a consensus
on the abandonment of all forms of FGM/C … empowerment programmes for the girls
to be able 'speak out' of their circumcision status and to be happy of their
status will be crucial since currently no woman or girl would want to be known
as not circumcised since it’s unheard of,” Sheema Sen Gupta, a senior child
protection officer with UNICEF Somalia, told IRIN.
Sheema, told IRIN that without adequate community involvement, the new law
risks driving the practice underground rather than eradicating it. “As we have
learned from several other countries, community empowerment is very crucial to
avoid the practice from going underground.”
Risk of severe bleeding, infection and infertility are some of the side effects
of the procedure, as are obstetric complications including postpartum
hemorrhage and infant mortality. Research
suggests that girls who have undergone FGM/C are more prone to mental
disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).