Two weeks ago, it was a great pleasure to host our very first event: Talk about Female Genital Cutting, in collaboration with the organization Sahiyo!
Based in the US and in India, Sahiyo’s aim is to end Female Genital Cutting (FGC) in Asian communities worldwide, and especially in India, within the “Bohra community”. During the talk, Mariya Taher, Lara Kingstone and Cate Cox explained more in detail what FGC is about, how it impacts women around the world, and finally what we can do to fight this abusive practice.
If you didn’t get the chance to connect to the event, here is a little sum-up of the main information covered during the talk :)
First, FGC involves the partial or total removal of external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. According to the WHO, FGC is classified into four major categories based on the type and extend of the cut.
This practice has persisted from generation to generation and is still considered necessary to prepare a girl for marriage and adulthood, in certain communities. The reasons for that are numerous. Some want to lower the girls’ sexual desire and pleasure to ensure their virginity and fidelity; others see the genitalia as an unclean body part that you need to cut in order to be feminine. As FGC is anchored within the culture and is seen as a social or religious norm, even little girls may think it is normal and feel they have to go through it like any other girl from her entourage.
However, as Leyla Hussein – iconic FGC survivor and activist - explains it well, FGC is a form of “child abuse, sexual abuse, and even a form of sexual assault.” It involves severe after-effects, both mental and physical. FGC survivors can experience sexual pain, bleeding, infections, urinary problems, complications in childbirth and an increased risk of newborn deaths. In addition to this, some also develop a trauma or feel less confident in their body.
Sahiyo’s intervention enabled us to deconstruct many misconceptions. Unlike most of us think, FGC doesn’t only happen in Africa or in Muslim communities. It is a global issue. Indeed, every 11 seconds, a girl undergoes FGC around the globe, in 92 different countries. Europe alone counts 600 thousand survivors. A country like France has, for example, no specific laws against FGC, whereas 12 to 21% of the female population is at risk.
You now can see how it is urgent to fight against Female Genital Cutting. But it is not that easy, as we need to start from the source of the problem: we need to change cultural perceptions and mentalities. And this starts by educating people on the subject; explaining to little girls that they don’t need to accept that in order to feel accepted in society, to parents that they shouldn’t accept letting someone cut their daughters, and even to doctors how they should handle the childbirth of an FGC survivor… This is something an NGO like Sahiyo is daily working on.
What can YOU do to help fight against it? First, you can educate people and share what you know around you. FGC is a complex issue and most people have misconceptions about it. You can also support and donate to various organizations that work on ending this practice. In Europe, the main associations are: Institut Women Safe, the Desert Flower foundation, the Orchid Project or the Federation Gams.
And if you want to help us end the practice, don’t hesitate to make a donation that we will transfer to Sahiyo, by following this link: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/girlupescp
Even 1€ can make a small difference for a woman around the globe :)
Thank you all for your interest and support!
To watch the recording of the talk: