This Saturday, the International Day for Zero Tolerance Against Female Genital Mutilation comes around again. It might have been a day you read about in the past, registering the horrors of FGM but not necessarily doing anything about it. Now, no one can afford to be that blasé. We all need to act.
The global pandemic has allowed FGM to go further underground. Girls who are to be cut often need to take a long absence from school and thus, the closing of schools has created a perfect opportunity for FGM to flourish. Girls can either be cut in the UK or they are flown to countries of their family’s origins to undergo FGM there. In England, a new case of FGM is recorded every 92 minutes - despite it being illegal. And now an additional 2 million girls are projected to be at risk of female genital mutilation globally by 2030 because of this pandemic.
Globally, more than 200 million girls and women have undergone FGM. Often it is usually undertaken when girls are verging on puberty, are of primary school age - and increasingly when they are small babies. It can have many physical impacts, incontinence, pain during sex, repeated infections, and life-threatening problems during childbirth. The act can also cause psychological effects, including anxiety, depression, and PTSD.
FGM is rooted in gender inequality, as a suppression of female sexuality.
FGM is not a religious practice and is not supported by any religious texts. In actual fact, it is a cultural practice that is rooted in gender inequality, as a suppression of female sexuality. By removing the parts of the female genitalia that allow pleasure and making sexual intercourse painful, girls who undergo FGM are less likely to engage in extra-marital sex.
Having FGM done has become a sign to others that a girl is virginal and is considered as a rite of passage. Therefore, families within cultures where FGM is a norm believe their daughter will suffer from the stigma of not being cut by being seen as unclean and be ostracised by the community or unable to find a husband.
Despite being illegal since 1995, only one person in the UK has been found guilty of FGM. That’s because women and girls have to report their families, friends, and communities who often believe that they are doing the best thing for the girl. Relying on individuals to report their loved ones after the act has taken place is not the solution. We need to educate and talk openly about this pervasive act, preventing communities wanting to cut their girls in the first place.
It is getting better. Recent work by aid organisations, schools, governments, charities and activists has built the largest ever movement to end female genital mutilation. What’s more, various pressures have forced many countries to adopt legal frameworks to prevent the act and provide women and girls with access to protection and care services.
The UK government has chosen to slash the foreign aid budget that saves lives and tackles FGM.
We should celebrate these efforts and provide more support for them, but during global pandemic, the UK Government have instead chosen to scrap the Department for International Development, which led on these issues. They are also now slashing the amount they give in foreign aid – a budget that save lives and tackles FGM. That means educational training sessions to community leaders, opportunities for girls to go to school, and communications campaigns are all at risk.
This is an absolute tragedy. The government should be supporting girls and women around the world, not turning its back on them. What they’re doing set back years of progress towards gender equality.
But there are ways to fight this. We can give the women who have been forced to be cut or who are at risk a voice by writing to our local MP. We can demand the UK government step up and commit to do more towards eradicating FGM once and for all. It may seem like a simple thing to do, but it goes a very long way. This week, I’m writing to the secretary of state, Dominic Raab, to do that myself. Will you join me?
Yasmin Qureshi is the Member of Parliament for Bolton South East and Shadow International Development Minister, she tweets @yasminqureshimp
For an easy, step-by-step guide to writing to your local MP, visit WriteToThem****.
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