FGM harms girls and women in many ways, robbing them of life opportunities and stopping from them from reaching their potential.
By forcing girls around the world to spend more time at home and less time in school, the coronavirus pandemic is having a devastating impact on rates of FGM and efforts to eliminate this harmful practice and form of gender-based violence.
According to the United Nations Population Fund, an additional 2 million girls could be at risk of FGM as a result of the pandemic, on top of the 68 million cases previously anticipated.
In Egypt, many girls and young women are still subjected to FGM despite the practice being outlawed. Most FGM in Egypt is carried out by medical professionals, however, the practice can never be safe and has no health benefits.
In addition to the physical and emotional trauma, FGM survivors face a serious risk of infection and even death in the short-term, while in the longer term, survivors are greater risk of stillbirth and complications during childbirth.
Throughout the pandemic, Plan International and partners have been continuing to raise vital awareness of the need to protect girls from FGM.
“We made the mistake once, there is no need to repeat it with my sisters”, says Rania, 18*
Rania could never have imagined herself standing in front of people in her village, performing a song and play encouraging her community to reject FGM.
Three years ago, she says she was very shy and didn’t think she had the ability to express herself. She was so afraid of making mistakes that she never spoke and would hide away in “permanent silence”.
Today, she not only raises vital awareness of the harmful impact of FGM in her community and has persuaded her own mother not to subject her younger sisters to the practice.
Rania took part in a child rights programme organised by Plan International in partnership with a local community development association. She credits the programme with helping her build up her confidence and helping her to learn about her rights.
“When we started the programme, we learned a lot about early marriage, harassment and FGM,” explains Rania, who has seven sisters and one brother.
Of all the girls in her family, only the two youngest, aged 10 and four, have not been subjected to FGM. After Rania learnt about the negative impact of the practice on girls’ health, including after marriage and during pregnancy, she decided to speak up against the practice.
Because Rania’s FGM took place under anesthesia, she says she doesn’t remember the pain, but she still recalls how fearful she felt. This, she says, is why she insisted her younger sisters do not face the same experience.
She told her mother about the dangerous consequences of FGM, “I told her how FGM has a bad effect on girls’ health after marriage, and that she even might not be able to have children, and how it’s wrongly thought that FGM is something related to religion.”
“My mother used to tell me that FGM is a custom we have to do to our girls, but after I learned a lot about its damage on girls through Plan International’s programmes, I changed my mother’s mind.”
Thanks to Rania’s arguments, her two younger sisters have not been subjected to FGM. Now, she spends her free time taking part in theatrical and musical performances raising awareness of the harm caused by the practice within her wider community.
“We perform in our village to convince people about the danger of FGM so they stop it. Before the beginning of the project, I would not have had the courage to sing, and I would have been nervous if I took part in the school’s news, but Plan International gave me an opportunity to perform and since then, I am not afraid anymore.”
“I thought it was a religious must and that it protects girls’ honour,” Rokaya*, a mother to four sons and three daughters
Rokaya grew up believing that FGM was a way of protecting girls. Today, she is a passionate advocate against the practice and spends her days visiting families in her community with daughters to raise awareness about the harm caused by FGM and early marriage.
Her journey began when she became involved in Plan International’s “Empowering Civil Society to combat FGM” project, where she discussed issues such as FGM and early marriage.
Rokaya openly admits that it wasn’t easy for her to change her mind about FGM. It is considered a long-standing tradition in her community, one she had always adhered to.
“What was really impressive is that in many of the activities and sessions I found answers to questions that I was thinking about even before asking. Such activities enlightened my mind and drove me to make the decision that I should play in a role in eliminating the practice from my village.”
Rokaya’s experience has made her a powerful advocate for the protection of women and girls. After taking part in several training sessions on FGM, early marriage and other practices harmful to girls, she began conducting home visits to people in her community.
She says these visits are often successful because people are more likely to listen to someone from their own community. She recently spoke about why and how she abandoned her belief in FGM at a public event in her community, encouraging others to do the same.
*Names have been changed.
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