WUNRN
USA - CAMPAIGN FOR LAWS &
ENFORCEMENT AGAINST FGM IN THE UNITED STATES & THE WORLD
By Adesua Odigie - WeNews Commentator - September 12,
2012
Makannera,
a
"I
could not sleep, the pain was unbearable. When I peed the first time, I felt
fresh pain all over again as my urine touched my wound. I didn't want to suffer
that again so I held it for as long as I could," she says.
She was 9
years old and her clitoris was cut off with a razor along with her external
genitalia which were subsequently stitched together, leaving only an opening
the size of a match stick. She was given no anesthesia.
The
Campaign Against Female Genital Mutilation (CAGeM)
is an international nonprofit group started by African female physicians in
1998. We are the oldest international organization to work exclusively on the
eradication of female genital mutilation, often referred to as FGM. Some who
wish to appear neutral on the issue use the phrase female genital cutting.
Whatever it is called, we are working hard to eliminate it.
Last year
we established an office in
Immigrant
communities in Europe,
In 2000,
On Sept.
15 our organization will be flagging the risks to inform New Yorkers about FGM
in their home town. We will also be raising funds for our program in
"The
summer holiday is a dangerous time for girls at risk of FGM in the
A bill,
The Girl Protection Act of 2011, introduced into Congress in June 2011 and into
the Senate as S.1919 in November 2011, would make it illegal to transport a
girl out of the country for female genital mutilation.
At the
Sept. 15 event, we will be passing out petition cards for participants to mail
to federal legislators.
We can
also celebrate the fact that in August President Barack Obama issued
an executive order that directs
The
practice--also known as female circumcision--is the removal of all or parts of
the external female genitalia for non-medical reasons and is often performed
without anesthesia. Reasons include preservation of virginity, promotion of
faithfulness to husbands, initiations into womanhood because the clitoris is a
"male part," avoiding "child death by clitoris" and other
superstitious beliefs.
Parents
feel their female children would not be able to get married to someone from
their home country without being "circumcised" and would resort to
the "wayward" ways of the Western world.
Although
they have immigrated from practicing countries, they want to stay true to their
cultures. Their children are cautioned against speaking about the ordeal and
members of the communities who try to speak out receive death threats.
Parents
such as Fatima Mohamed, a Somali immigrant who did not want to circumcise her
daughter, face community pressure.
"They
say they don't want to hear it. Some think I'm disrespecting my own culture.
Some will say, 'You act like an American now. You forgot about who you
are,'" she says.
There is
also a very high obstetric cost. A 2006 study by the World Health Organization
indicated that deliveries to women who have undergone FGM are significantly
more likely to be complicated by Caesarean section, postpartum hemorrhage,
episiotomy, extended maternal hospital stay, resuscitation of the infant and
inpatient perinatal death than deliveries to women who have not had FGM.
Since a
federal law was passed against FGM in 1997, physicians approached to perform
FGM face a dilemma. If they refuse it will be done dangerously. Dr. Terry Dunn,
a
"When
you're dealing with religious or cultural beliefs, saying no sometimes is not
sufficient for people and it will not necessarily eliminate the practice,"
says Dr. Doug Diekema, a pediatrician at Seattle's Children's Hospital.
"As
far as we know, the state is not undertaking activities to address this
issue," says Jessica Gormand, legislative director of Assemblywoman
Barbara Clark of
In 2009,
"Part
of the motivation for putting this bill forward was to bring this to
light," says Gormand.
The
walkathon comes at a critical time for our organization. We hope to raise funds
to ship medical supplies and equipment to the first free hospital providing
treatment for victims of FGM in
We also
hope to strengthen our women's economic empowerment program in
"If
we don't empower these women to stand up now, they could succeed in passing
this law with little resistance," says Rehab Mahmoud, chair of our partner
organization SAWA, which means "everyone coming together."