by Laura Darcey
Female genital cutting (FGC) is a practice that involves the complete or partial removal of the external female genitalia for non-medical reasons. It is frequently practised on young girls and is a deeply entrenched tradition in many communities marking the transition from girlhood to womanhood.
In 2021, it was estimated that 21% of Kenyan women aged 15-49 had undergone FGC. Breaking down the most recent data by age group, however, shows that the prevalence for women aged 45-49 is 40.9%, while for the youngest age group it has fallen to 11.9%. This demonstrates that progress has been made in recent years, but FGC remains prevalent in Kenya.
FGC has been classified as a human rights violation by the United Nations . It can range from Type 1 – the partial or total removal of the clitoral glans, and/or the clitoral hood, to Type 3 – infibulation, the narrowing of the vaginal opening through the creation of a covering seal, which is formed by cutting and repositioning the labia minora or labia majora, sometimes through stitching.
There are no medical benefits associated with FGC, but many dangers. Immediate consequences of FGC can include excessive bleeding, swelling, fever, infection, urinary problems, shock and death. Long term complications can range from menstrual problems, sexual challenges, and psychological issues to an increased risk of childbirth complications, including fistula and new-born death .
Girls who have undergone FGC experience physical trauma and health complications that can make school attendance and learning difficult. In addition, FGC reinforces patriarchal structures, positioning young girls as prospective wives and mothers, rather than autonomous individuals. Following FGC, many girls become withdrawn as they face the short and long-term health complications associated with the procedure .
A Cultural Expectation
In some Kenyan communities, FGC is part of a larger coming-of-age ceremony wherein girls establish their identity and indicate that they are ready to be wed. The practice is driven by families who want their daughters to be accepted in the community and married into good families who can support them.
FGC is also performed for cosmetic reasons, as some men prefer the physical aesthetic of a woman who has been circumcised. A woman who has not undergone the procedure is sometimes viewed as ‘unclean’. Religious doctrine is also frequently used to justify the practice, although many religious scholars and international organisations maintain that FGC is endorsed by neither Christianity nor Islam.
The pressure to undergo the cut can be immense. An uncircumcised woman can be seen as devalued, unclean and cowardly. Women risk losing their social standing in the community, their prospects of finding a husband, and their worth as a bride. This can lead to women being marginalised and becoming both socially and economically vulnerable.
Surprisingly, the greatest supporters of the practice are often female elders. These women, who were circumcised as children, hold real political power. They are both practitioners who derive major income from performing the cutting , and are those who uphold the rituals and teachings associated with the practice. It is not uncommon for an elder to overrule the FGC preferences of a girl or those of her mother.
Poverty, Marriage and School Holidays
Financial shocks can increase the prevalence of FGC. If a family is undergoing financial hardship, they may look to marry off their daughter in exchange for a dowry, requiring her to undergo FGC in preparation. Currently, climate change is exacerbating these issues, creating more desperate families who are not willing to risk foregoing FGC, despite the waning popularity of the procedure .
The Covid-19 pandemic demonstrated that economic and social disruption can also lead to an increase in FGC. First, the usual processes to protect girls from FGC were halted during the pandemic, leaving girls vulnerable. Then, schools which have historically been a source of protection for school-aged girls at risk of FGC, were closed. Girls are most commonly cut during the Christmas holidays, which is the longest vacation of the year and allows them time to heal from the procedure without scrutiny from teachers or school administrators. During Covi, this school year protection disappeared. Data gathered by UNICEF in nine Kenyan counties shows a 121% increase in the number of FGC cases between January and November 2020 compared to the same period in 2019. The number of girls rescued from FGC dropped from 1,073 in 2019 to 994 in 2020 .
Additionally, pandemic-related travel restrictions prevented government officials, law enforcement, and humanitarian workers from travelling in regions with high FGC prevalence to implement child protection programmes.
Criminalising FGC
FGC was banned in Kenya in 2001 through the Children’s Act which stated “no person shall subject a child to female circumcision, early marriage or other cultural rites, customs or traditional practices that are likely to negatively affect the child’s life, health, social welfare, dignity or physical or psychological development”.
In 2011, Kenya criminalised FGC and set the goal of eliminating the practice by 2022, passing more explicit legislation – the Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation Act, which imposed harsh penalties or perpetrators of FGC, including a minimum fine of 200,000 KSH (equivalent to $1,800), or three years imprisonment, or both . The Kenyan government also established an “Anti-Female Genital Mutilation and Child Prosecution Unit” with 20 prosecutors based in FGC practicing communities around the country to deal exclusively with eradicating the practice .
Yet, superstitions around FGC have been passed down from generation to generation, and indicate a certain way of life and belief system. The interference of government officials from far-off Nairobi, and aid workers from even further away in Europe and America, are distant and foreign compared to deeply rooted customs that permeate the everyday lives of the people and tribes that practise FGC .
The criminalisation of the practice has pushed it underground, making it harder for police officers and local officials to identify, arrest and prosecute those practising it. Additionally, many Kenyans, including law enforcement officials are unwilling to report FGC t in their communities. Often, it is their own grandmothers who are doing the cutting .
Education as Protection
FGC acts as a barrier to girls’ education, particularly when it serves as a precursor to child marriage. But education can also be a way to help girls escape FGC.
Accessing education creates a ‘network effect’ for girls, providing them with the life skills and the social space to introduce new concepts and giving room for the exchange of ideas. Education strengthens the agency and ability of girls to understand and exercise their rights. School-based interventions such as teacher training and curriculum on the risks of FGC as well as wider gender equality, raises girls’ awareness and strengthens their decision-making capabilities. School attendance can also protect girls from FGC. In countries where FGC is practised, 54% of women with no education report they have undergone FGC, compared to 19% of women who have some level of secondary education .
Access to education also has the potential to affect girls’ decisions when they have children of their own. Of women who underwent FGC, 85% of those who completed primary education believe the practice should stop, compared with 35% of those with no education . According to a report by the International Centre for Research on Women, women’s support for FGC decreases as her level of education increases. Education can protect the next generation of girls from FGC .
How Does NTS Help Combat the Practice?
NTS provides girls with an alternative path, empowering girls so that marriage is not their only option. By earning a professional degree, young women can secure their own financial future and get married once their careers are established and have reached personal financial stability. The professionals in our community model this for our female students, showing them what it looks like to be an empowered woman.
NTS also takes great care to ensure students are well-informed. We teach students about the dangers of FGC in reproductive health classes. In civics lessons, we cover students’ constitutional and legal rights, including the fact that FGC is illegal in Kenya. And our child safeguarding policy ensures all students are aware of their rights to physical and emotional safety. Additionally, gender equality lessons help to break down some of the patriarchal assumptions that can contribute to FGC.
Structurally, NTS has only short holidays. This means students are not exposed to long breaks from school, therefore reducing the chance they are whisked away for an FGC procedure. And other opportunities, as they arise, will be incorporated into the curriculum and general community social structure.
References
[1] Health and Human Rights Journal, Eradicating Female Genital Mutilation / Cutting https://www.hhrjournal.org/2018/08/eradicating-female-genital-mutilation-cutting-human-rights-based-approaches-of-legislation-education-and-community-empowerment/
[2] WHO, Female Genital Mutilation https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/female-genital-mutilation
[3] WHO
[4] WHO
[5] Vice, Female Genital Cutting is on the rise during COVID in Kenya https://www.vice.com/en/article/xgzm83/female-genital-cutting-is-on-the-rise-during-covid-in-kenya
[6] ICRW, Leveraging Education to end female genital cutting worldwide https://www.icrw.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/ICRW-WGF-Leveraging-Education-to-End-FGMC-Worldwide-November-2016-FINAL.pdf
[7] Pulitzer Centre, Climate Change pushes girls in Northern Kenya back to early marriage and FGM https://pulitzercenter.org/projects/climate-change-pushes-girls-northern-kenya-back-early-marriage-and-female-genital
[8] Vice
[9] Vice
[10] Vice
[11] UNAA, Why is female genital cutting practised, and what is being done to eliminate it? https://www.unaa.org.au/2021/02/06/why-is-female-genital-cutting-practised-and-what-is-being-done-to-eliminate-it/
[12] Pulitzer Centre, Some Anti-FGM activists say law is not enough to end practice https://pulitzercenter.org/stories/some-anti-fgm-activists-say-law-not-enough-end-practice
[13] Orchid Project, Intersection between female genital cutting and education https://www.orchidproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Intersection-Between-Female-Genital-Cutting-and-Education.pdf
[14] UNICEF, The power of education to end female genital mutilation https://data.unicef.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/The-power-of-education-to-end-FGM_2022.pdf
[15] ICRW