END FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION

Female Genital Mutilation has no Place in this day and Age

According to WHO, female genital mutilation (FGM) comprises all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. The practice, they add, that it is mostly carried out by traditional circumcisers, who often play other central roles in communities, such as attending childbirths[1].

However, more than 18% of all FGM is performed by health care providers, and the trend towards medicalization is increasing. At Ontime Initiative Africa, this trend is worrying. This is because, just as Edna Adan argued, FGM has no place in this day and age. It doesn’t prevent promiscuity or preserve virginity, because it is the upbringing of an individual that influences her morals. It is forbidden in Islam religion too.

FGM is recognized internationally as a violation of the human rights of girls and women. It reflects deep-rooted inequality between the sexes, and constitutes an extreme form of discrimination against women. It is nearly always carried out on minors and is a violation of the rights of children. The practice also violates a person's rights to health, security and physical integrity, the right to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and the right to life when the procedure results in death. (WHO 2014) Ontime Initiative Africa strongly condemns any form of FGM whether done at home by untrained medical staff, or done in the hospitals by trained and qualified staff. The bottom line is, it is a violation of human rights[2].

Onetime Initiative Africa is embarking on a journey to protect our women and girls from the brutal cut

[1] WHO World Fact sheet No.241 updated in 2014

[2] Read the poem by Dahabo Ali Muse and you will get to know what we are talking about. FGM degrades girls and women. http://www.sistersomalia.org/a-poem-for-women-who%E2%80%99ve-suffered-fe...