Awaken Excerpts

Dear Editor

I am grateful for your efforts to provide many people with Equality Now's Awaken. Until I came to the United States I never knew that the horrible procedure of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) took place anywhere else in the world other than Togo.It was extremely embarrassing for me to talk to anyone about this cultural practice of ours. For this reason, I got into trouble, which I should not have. If I had had the courage to tell the Immigration and Naturalization Service when I arrived about FGM, I might not have been in prison. I would not say that I am happy to be put in jail in America simply because I would not let anybody cut my woman part. However, sometimes things happen for good reasons. My incarceration seems to have caused the change of many laws not only in America but also in other parts of the world and I am particularly grateful about the change of law in my country Togo. I was thrilled to read in the last issue of Equality Now's Awaken that the government has banned FGM in Togo and I am happy that something is being done to eradicate this terror. My congratulations to everyone who works towards the eradication of FGM and addresses other human rights violations.

Sincerely,
Fauziya M. Kassindja

Dear Editor

Thank you for all four issues of Equality Now's Awaken, providing information to many people about FGM. Yes, men and women need to know the disastrous effects of any form of the procedure. The letters sent to you do not say enough about the psychological harm girls and women suffer, except, perhaps about the loss of self-esteem--and stating the need for counseling services including listening to what they can say about their feelings.

I applaud the efforts of all of you and others who are working to eradicate FGM and hope research and education will continue.

I feel strongly about this practice because I had a form of FGM in 1918 or 1919 in Missouri (U.S.A.) when I was four or five years old. I believe the damage was not so much physical as emotional and psychological. Only now am I getting psychiatric help to relieve the terrible rage I have harbored all these years. My ability to think, to speak--I stuttered--and to be compatible socially were affected. So with your issues of Awaken I have wondered if others in this country had the "operation" that I had - possibly because my father thought I masturbated or complained of discomfort of my genital area. It was done by a physician whom I believe was an osteopath.

I experience some relief to read that California has a law banning FGM, and there is now a federal law for the same purpose. I still wonder how many girls in this country have had some forms of FGM - girls who were not in immigrant families. I support your work...

Sincerely yours,
Grace E.H., Illinois, U.S.A.

NEWS

Guinea-Bissau

Call it Tounkara's List--like Oskar Schindler's unorthodox methods of rescuing Jews from the Nazis. For more than a quarter-century a female gynecologist, Aja Tounkara Diallo Fatimata, has been able to save thousands of women from one of Africa's most controversial and deeply held traditions: circumcision of young women.

Her method is simple: Fake the surgery. And she has taught this simulation to midwives and traditional circumcisers across most of Africa. Tounkara herself underwent the "rite of passage" when she was 8 years old. She began working against it 20 years later when she saved a girl whose surgery had gone badly.

Yet Tounkara says that she could not simply campaign against an "ancestral custom," as many Western and African activists do now. She says many Western activists seem less concerned with the negative effects circumcision can have on African women's health and more concerned about their own agenda - raising issues of women's rights and sexual repression. Rather, she decided to try to persuade parents of daughters not to allow the operation. "Then, when they argued that their relatives were just going to do it anyway, I would suggest the simulation. We would take lots of photos (to prove the surgery had taken place)," she says.

Tounkara says it is not always men who demand the procedure. She claims that in Guinea-Bissau, her country, men are usually the ones trying to stop their daughters from being circumcised.

From The San Diego Union-Tribune, January 1, 1997

Kenya

A motion seeking legislative authority to ban FC, brought before the Kenyan Parliament by Mr. John Kirore Mwaura, the MP from Kigumo, was defeated by an overwhelming majority last November. The MPs failed to see what was wrong with FC, despite the efforts of women's NGOs in the country. Many activists blame the failure on the male domination, not only of Parliament, but all corridors of political power. The Kenyan MPs were not impressed, despite Mr. Mwaura's plea to consider the dangers of HIV and AIDS that young girls may face due to FC, and the graphic description provided by the MP from Kimilili, Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi, who equated FC with the removal of the genital organs in men. The Attorney General declared that the government is neutral on the matter. He cited the experience of the British law in Kenya that moved the practice underground. Women leaders unanimously condemned the opposition of the parliament to the bill. They accused the legislators of being insensitive to gender issues. Mrs. Charity Mwendwa, MP from Kitui Central, and Mrs. Phoebe Asiyo, MP from Karachuonyo, criticized the Parliament for its failure to narrow the gender gap, and its failure to understand the Beijing Platform for Action, which included FC as a violation, and which the Kenyan Parliament says should be be implemented.

From Weekly Review Motif, internet, November 22, 1996

FEATURE

The Egyptian Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) Task Force: A Singular Vision with a Plurality of Dimensions

During the last year FGM medicalization and legal status were greatly debated in Egypt as well as in the international arena. In December 1997 the highest administrative court finally ruled in favor of Minister of Health Ismail Sallam. An assessment of the impact of the case's final ruling on the social atmosphere in Egypt, and the FGM task force's strategies to negotiate and dialogue with these changes are briefly discussed in this article.

The FGM task force working towards the eradication of FGM was formed in October 1994 with Marie B. Assad as its coordinator. It consists of a coalition of organizations and individuals from different backgrounds who share the same vision an are active in the fields of development, women's rights, human rights, health, education, and legal aid. We perceive the final ruling to uphold the minister's decreee as apositive contribution to our struggle. To elaborate on the decree further: the Minister of Health issued a decree banning FGM in government hospitals and health units. A conservative group of people who are proponents of FGM filed a suit against the Minister on the grounds that it was outside his legal powers to issue such a decree. On 24 June 1997 the administrative court ruled in favor of this group. This initial ruling was appealed and sent to the highest administrative court which ruled on 28 December 1997 to overturn it: the Minister's decree was well within his power and there was no strong evidence in Islamic texts (sayings of the prophet or the Quran) to suggest that Islam favored FGM.

The impact of this ruling on the social atmosphere in Egypt is definitely a positive one. However, we do not think that this ruling will elicit change on the level of human behavior. The course of action of someone determined to circumcise or not circumcise his or her daughter will remain unaltered regardless of any Ministerial decree. Furthermore, while this decision bans FGM from government hospitals and health units, male doctors or traditional birth attendants (according to the 1995 Demographic and Health Survey) perform most circumcisions in Egypt in homes and private clinics. That is not to say that this ruling is pointless, had it gone in favor of witholding the ban, the consequences would have been dire. Ultimately the ruling works to the advantage of those attempting to eradicate FGM by having a positive impact on people who are undecided on whether to circumcise their daughters or not. It helps field workers, grassroots NGOs, and other factions in consolidating their position by empowering them with legal support from the government.

In December 1997 the FGM task force launched its position paper vis-à-vis FGM (most of which is quoted in the March 1998 issue of Women Legislators in Action). It covered all the issues pertaining to this practice: medicalization, religion, tradition, the law, development, and gender issues. The question that arose after this even was "now what?"e; We had to look at our brief history as a task force, the research assessing our work and general attitudes towards FGM and its eradication, mistakes from the past, and the social dynamics around this issue to devise our strategies for the future.

What emerged from this exercise was a document outlining our strategies and outlook on the issue, which in large part are comprised of research; as well as publications around the issue to be disseminated on a multiplicity of levels. We believe in the developmental gender approach in addressin the issue of FGM. This approach is broad enough in that it draws on all the facets of the issue and allows us to integrate health, gender, equality, human rights, culture, and the welfare of the nation in our struggle against FGM. Naturally we could opt for using a cultural, human rights, or health approach on their own but we ahve found that the developmental gender approach is the most comprehensive. There is reluctance to use the religious approach due to its ambiguity. Given the research conducted ont eh history of trying to eradicatek FGM in Egypt, we found that the "Islamization" of FGM has given this practice a sanctity that is difficult to shake. It has also produced a variety of irreconcilable religious views ranging from complete belief in the necessity of the practice to a total denial of religion's promotion of it. This situation has only served in confusing people more and convoluting rather than clarifying the issue.

The health approach on its own would seem to be a good avenue to proceed from. However, it is highly problematic for a number of reasons. First, the health approach pushes the discussion of FGM into the realm of the medical profession nad leaves it up to their discretion. This is detrimental to the cause since the afroementioned Demographic and Health Survey show that a large number of FGM operations are performed by doctors. Second, when discussing he negative health related side effects of FGM, there is a tendancy to talk of infections, frigidity, trauma, etc. which may not have been experienced by all women and can make us lose our credibility. In terms of Egypt's individual case, the emphasis on teh health approach led to the medicalization of FGM. It was perceived that all the dangers of this operation came from not letting professionals do it, thus doctors were seen as the most equipped to carry out this procedure (which is not found in any medical literature). The operation itself and the rationales behind it were not questioned.

Hence we decided to adopt the developmental gender approach because it combines all the issues and reveals FGM as one of the ways that gender inequity and discrimination are maintained. FGM ultimately serves the power relations and inequalities between the sexes. Upon examining the rationales presented for FGM using the lenses of gender and development, they are found to be illogical and unsubstantiated. Our litmus paper test lies in the next Egyptian and Demographic Health Survey which should take place in 1999. The previous survey of 1995 put the figure of circumcised women in Egypt at 97%. Till then we are continuing with our adopted approach and its dissemination. This is achieved through a variety of activities.

Two members of the FGM task force, Dr. Magdy Helmy and Dr. Seham Abdel Salam, have produced a reproductive health guide entitled, New Concepts for a Better Life (mafaheem gadeeda li-haya afdal). This is the complete reproductive health guide for men and women, which adopts a gender-sensitive approach. For example menopause which in Arabic is the phase of maturity (marhallat al-nadg wa al-intillaq) and FGM is referred to as the black day (al-yom al-aswad) in every female's life. To ensure the dissemination of these gender-sensitive perspectives, the authors of hte book are traveling all over Egypt and training people on the contents to raise awareness and get their information across. Access to and acceptance in different communities is facilitated through our expanding coalition of grass-roots organizations, which boasts a membership form most of the twenty-six provinces in Egypt.

A spirit of self-examination is crucial to sharpening our focus and improving our methods. A study was conducted at the recommendation of the FGM task force entitled, "Experiences of Non-Governmental Organizations Working Towards the Elimination of FGM in Egypt" by Samiha el Katsha, Sherine Ibrahim, and Noha Sedky, the aim of which was to assess the work of different NGOs in trying to eradicate FGM. The ensuing recommendations were the following: coordination of various efforts; documentation; educational support material; training and rallying the support of the media. Part of our mandate is research, whihc was and still is a crucial component of our work and outlook. We are continuously working towards the aforementioned recommendations and are encouraged by the support of each other and the support provided by the different kinds of work we do.

Following the recommendations of this study, we are also launching a project aimed at the sensitization of media personell to the issue of FGM. An NGO named Appropriate Communication Techniques for Development (ACT) a task force member, has been commissioned by the task force to carry out this awareness-raising and ally-generating project. The media is a crucial ally in a country plagued with illiteracy, among other things. The coverage so far of the media had not been helpful to our cause for two reasons. Few articles present an objective and sympathetic view of our struggle, and the proponents of FGM have had greater access to different channels of the media. This imbalance needs to be remedied. And with the new ruling on the Minister's case, perhaps the restrictions will be lifted and we will have greater access to the media. Therefore we need to supply media personell with information and a variety of perspectives on this issue.

Seham Abdel-Salam, a medical doctor and the person in charge of the FGM resource center, conducted another study on "Female Sexuality and the Discourse of Power." In her qualitative analysis from fifteen focus group discussions with women from different governorates, Abdel-Salam has merged feminist theory with the realities of women's everyday lives, and academia with action research. She has concluded that FGM is painted as a necessary antidote to the image of female sexuality in Egypt, which is presented as both dangerous and vulnerable.

Another research project is currently being conducted at the recommendation of the FGM task force entitled, "Investigating Male Sexuality and FGM" by Nadia Wassef, a task force member. This research aims to analyze men's attitudes towards their sexuality and women's, to understand how FGM helps to appease men's concerns about female sexuality, and by extension, their own. Should the findings validate our suspicion of men as a target group of innocent bystanders - they would be addressed as people directly related to the issue.

Dr. Seham Abdel-Salam and Dr. Amal Abdel-Hadi (an FGM task force member and also a member of the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies) conducted research on the doctor's attitudes and perceptions towards FGM. This can act as a baseline for a follow up study that will be conducted at a later stage to gauge the impact of the court ruling on doctors. Research and the gathering of all resources on FGM are crucial to our work. The FGM resource center has proved to be an asset to all those who have sought information. It enables us to look back at the recent past and learn from it. Even the process of documenting the information and subsequent work of the task force, which is being done by Ragia Omran, a task force member, is beneficial in giving us a focus and a vision for the future.

Ultimately, the ruling to uphold the Minister's decree has invested the predominant social atmosphere in Egypt with a new dimension. The aforementioned outlooks and activites are a brief attempt at illustrating how we chose to dialogue with these changes. We are trying to create a larger movement that shares a similar vision. We need to build more allies to our cuase. We share our experiences with others and hope to learn from them - working alone is futile. Through researching efforts in the history of Egypt to eradicate FGM, we concluded that there were always sporadic efforts since the 1920s, but never a concentrated and united movement. this is what we are stribing towards today, a movement that will not allow for sacrifices to be made at the expense of women's bodies. And time will tell how successful we are...

Nadia Wassef
Researcher and member of the advisory group of the FGM Task Force

MANPOWER

Doing Away with Harmful Traditional Practices: It Is Not a Matter of What is Wrong or Right, but a Matter of Making Life More Meaningful for Young Girls

The growing up process of young people born of a family that has deeply rooted traditiional norms and values which are religiously motivated involves getting acquainted with traditional norms and values and practices, then accepting, abiding by and participating in them without question. The socialization process is such that we are made only to accept and to practice but never to question their justification and realities against the present day life. Resistance or any move contrary to these may result in being an outcast. Some of these traditions, norms and values include early and forceful marriages, nutritional taboos, harmful surgical practices such as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), gum pinching, tribal marks, respect of elders, male dominance and power among others.

As I grew up, I became very critical of some of these traditions. I did not really challenge traditions until 1992, when I was trained as a peer health educator in a technical high scool and then as a Youth Advocate in 1993 with the Foundation for Research on Women's Health Productivity and the Environment (BAFROW). These served as stepping stones for my involvement in the campaign against FGM and other harmful traditional practices. Then I started realistically recalling sisters' agony years ago. Two of them fell victim to FGM and were molded to feel that they have no right to question what was done to them, no right or even a chance to make decisions as to their own life and needs.

In recognition of the role of young people as change-agents in transition, a Youth Advocacy Group and Center were established to offer information and counseling. Youth from the Advocacy Group and Center are trained to provide information and counseling to young people on the effects of FGM and advocacy for change. Becasue the issues addressed by the Group and the Center are related to the empowerment of women and young girls, very few male partners associate themselves with this work. They feel that FGM is a problem for women and they should sove it. It became, therefore, very challenging to work with women's empowerment issues/problems. As a member of the BAFROW Youth Advocacy Group, I help organize seminars, workshops, training sessions and materials, and campaigns to create awareness among young people on FGM eradication. The importance of male involvement in these activities cannot be over emphasized.

I feel the practice of FGM and other harmful traditional practices cannot effectively be addressed without the involvement of the male counterparts who are mostly termed as the decision makers and who are indeed, powerful, resourceful, and guide the destiny of women. Involv9ing them in these activites will help broaden their concept of women and help them to see women not just as articles that one can possess, but as partners in the family, in development, in decision making, and in nation building. It must be understood that women's participation is not a move to overthrow men or challenge them, but a matter of equity and equal participation.

In The Gambia, it used to be taboo to discuss FGM in public both among the young and old people. THe "aggressive" sensitization and awareness campaigns have given people interest to discuss the problem and come up with the possible solutions. My group recently conducted a national tour of The Gambia to meet and talk to over 3000 young men and women, nationwide. It is interesting that every young person irrespective of religious, ethnic and traditional beliefs has a concern over the health, social and psychological effects of FGM, and discrimination against women in general and the girl child in particular. With continuing sensitization, there is a bright future for the young to be free of FGM and other harmful traditional practices.

My organization is currently implementing a curriculum for the restructuring of rites of passage for young girls. This new alternative approach will revive and sustain all htose positive traditional practices associated with the rites of passage of young girls, empowering them through education and life skills. It will also provide alternative sources of income for the circumcisors who as good health promoters in their societies will be able to maintain their status and participation in making life meaningful for young girls.

Being a young man interested in youth, gender, and women's empowerment, the primary challenge is to get people to respect me and my ideas even before accepting them. Most of my fellow young men think I am advocating impossible ideas, whihc are not realistic and cannot be implemented in The Gambia. They accuse me of being a "womanizer." Nevertheless, this never discourages me. Instead, it adds more fuel to my fire. I see these people not as enemies but as a challenge I should face. They are my targets for change. Resistance to change or new ideas just means you have more work to do in sensitization.

Being an activist also means addressing issues everyday, i.e. at home, at school, at work, among peers, etc. One should be strategic and a good communicator; never condemn other opinions; and do not let others feel as if you think they are wrong. Make them realize their mistakes or misfortunes of the past against women, as well as the need for change. We need maximum involvement of women at all levels of the society from policy making, filtered down to decisions and responsibilities in the family. The need for women's involvement and empowerment is not women's problem but a societal one; therefore, all aspects of society should participate fully in efforts to achieve this goal.

Ebrima Saidy, The Gambia
Youth Coordinator at the Foundation for Research in Women's Health, Productivity and the Environment (BAFROW)

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