The effect of FGM

According to Africa.women.org, “Women suffer from FGM as young children from the operation, at the time of their marriage as adults and later during their child delivery. Female genital mutilation has detrimental effects on the physical and psychological health of the infants, girl-children, and women-operated.” To get a better idea of these effects, some elaboration is necessary:

Short term effects of FGM

Young women who undergo the practice often bleed profusely, considering their sensitive and soft tissue in the genitalia has been cut and may die in the process or become anemic. There is also a high risk of contracting urinary tract infections and those of the bladder following the pain of attempting to retain urine and the swelling of tissue in the urinary system.

Also, one can contract illness from the unsterilized instruments that are used and the unhygienic conditions in which FGM takes place. Blood poisoning, tetanus, and HIV are some of the health risks posed by this practice. Finally, vital body organs such as the urethra, anus, and the bladder might be damaged in the process.

Long term effects of FGM

Excision and infibulation can negatively affect the obstetrics, gynecological, and urinary systems for a woman’s entire life. The woman may also experience chronic urinary tract infections because the bladder cannot empty completely. This building up of urine in the bladder results in very painful menses. Also, cysts and abscesses may occur from the scars on the vulva. Even more fearful is the development of fistula, which is a physically and mentally exerting complication. Other problems include pain during sexual intercourse, obstructed labor, and the possibility of losing either the mother or the child during birth.

Violation of a raft of rights

 FGM violates the right of women to mental and physical integrity, highest possible health standard, freedom from discrimination of all forms, including violence and inhuman, and demeaning treatment. FGM also infringes children’s rights, and in some unfortunate cases, the right to life.

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The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that Somalia has 97.5% FGM prevalence. This implies that almost every woman and girl in Somalia has undergone this painful and life-threatening cruelty. The practice is so ingrained in the Somali society that recently it was reported that Somali diaspora members were travelling back to Somalia or Kenya to take their girls to undergo FGM.  In essence, a Somali woman who has not been ‘cut’ is hard to come by.

Somalia is in good company

According to WHO, FGM is a global problem and the statistics are shocking:

WHO estimates that between 100 and 140 million girls and women worldwide have been subjected to one of the first three types of female genital mutilation. Estimates based on the most recent prevalence data indicate that 91,5 million girls and women above 9 years old in Africa are currently living with the consequences of female genital mutilation. There are an estimated 3 million girls in Africa at risk of undergoing female genital mutilation every year.

What fuels FGM?

The evils and consequences are better known to those who have it and their close family members. Consequently, continued practice cannot be attributed to ignorance of the harmful effects.  Culture and religion are the main culprits. The US State Department opines that erroneous beliefs that religion supports FGM are the main reasons the practice has gained universal acceptance in the Horn of Africa nation. Culture also bolsters religion in that girls are taught that FGM will help them preserve virginity and thus maintain family honor.

Lawlessness and terrorism aggravate the situation

Since the early 1990s, Somalia has never had a stable government. With time, it became the sanctuary and hideout for terrorists fleeing from war elsewhere. Today, Alshabab, an Al-Qaeda affiliated terrorist organization, controls a lot of territory where it practices a strict and radical form of Islam. The weak government in Mogadishu, which often disintegrates due to clan rivalry and has to be protected by African Union forces, cannot enforce any anti-FGM regulations. How can it even contemplate that when FGM is a national practice?

No overnight solutions are expected

With this background, it is easy to understand why FGM will not end overnight in Somalia. In the words of a Somali woman who talked to UNICEF, “I want to abandon circumcision, but only when the entire community does so; I don’t want to be the only one going against the social norms.”

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