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The solution to FGM lies in the hands of cultural leaders
Author: Simon J. Mone. PHOTO/COURTESY
What you need to know:
- We need to empower cultural leaders to help their communities change some bad practices.
- Cultural leaders are in a better place to talk to their members because they are the voice of their people, and the communities will listen.
The influence of culture on communities is a factor to consider in any endeavour to address some practices. We see it in the culture of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
In many parts of the world, people still embrace FGM and consider the practice so dear. Not only is it practised in Africa, but it also happens in continents such as Europe and societies continue to encourage it.
Traditional society has got its cultural, social and even religious reasons for FGM. They refer to it as a religious, social and cultural necessity, where families believe FGM to be a means of protecting their daughters’ purity. A prerequisite for marriage.
The young girls are not going to oppose it, since they grew up taking this practice as usual. They believe in it and will defend it to death. The elderly are the ambassadors of FGM and will introduce it to their daughters.
Since it is a cultural practice, many parents and young girls are proud of it. Therefore, they will sustain it for generations. And this is how FGM has lived for this long time. It is cherished and praised.
Parents and relatives will recommend it to their peers who may not have had the chance to face the knife. And believe all the myths about it as true. So, communities are never going to stop for a moment to think about the negative aspects of FGM – an indelible scar on them.
A scar on the physical and mental health of young girls and women. The potential infection and infertility that could result. They are not going to see how the practice of FGM puts their lives and well-being at risk, where it could even cause their death. It is hard to blame a juvenile for respecting their culture because they grew up knowing that it is business as usual. So, the power of culture can do many great things to society. But the power of culture can damage society as well. Culture has made every young girl think and know that FGM is good for them.
It has caused discrimination against those girls that have not yet faced the knife. Girls that do not undergo the traditional rite, face stigma from their very own relatives. That is the power of culture.
Communities are made to generally believe that the non-cut girls bring shame to their families. And so, cannot associate freely.
They are isolated by their friends. As the society will continue to emphasise that a girl that has not undergone the cut is not complete. I say that, on the contrary, a girl that has not been cut is the complete one because she retains all her body parts. And we must turn this around. To continue to send the message – tell the young girls who are intact that they are the complete one.
They are complete because they do not have to worry about the irreversible damage caused to them. With this background, it is important to note that the better solution may need to originate from communities.
Communities should educate families, especially the rural ones, on the life-threatening consequences of forcing young girls to undergo FGM.
There is a need to address this problem by engaging cultural leaders and supporting them with the knowledge and capacity to eliminate harmful practices.
We need to empower cultural leaders to help their communities change some bad practices. Cultural leaders are in a better place to talk to their members because they are the voice of their people, and the communities will listen. Such will contribute towards the acceleration of an end to FGM. so, from this perspective, we can help communities to stop FGM.
Simon J. Mone is a Civil Engineer, [email protected]
