Yesterday was the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation, commemorating the 100-140 million women who have been subjected to genital mutilation and the approximately 3 million girls at risk of being mutilated each year.
The practice of female genital mutilation (FGM), also known as female genital cutting (FGC) or female circumcision, is a violation of women’s and girls’ rights and a painful reminder of the persistence of gender inequality around the world. Unfortunately, FGM/C is practiced in 18 African countries as well as among immigrants in Australia, Canada, Europe, New Zealand, and the United States. Its practice is also reported among certain groups in Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Yemen.
FGM/C is prevalent in Egypt. According to the 2008 Egypt Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS), the prevalence of FGM among women aged 15 to 49, who are or have ever been married, is 91 percent. However, rates appear to be declining among younger women, with approximately three-quarters of girls aged 15-17 having been circumcised. These findings are supported by a recent study conducted by the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population among a sample of primary, preparatory, and secondary female school students. The study found 50 percent of students surveyed to be victims of FGM/C, while in certain governorates, especially in Upper Egypt, the number was as high as 70 percent. These studies, as well as many others, make two facts clear: FGM/C is in decline among a younger generation, but it remains a widespread phenomenon in Egypt.
FGM/C persists in Egypt for different reasons. The 2005 EDHS reveals that 57 percent of women undergo the practice to maintain traditions, 32 percent to reduce sexual desire, fewer than 29 percent for hygiene and cleanliness, and 12 percent to gain religious approval. Further studies suggest that the main reason for practicing FGM/C is to ensure girls’ virginity and chastity.
Unlike most countries where FGM/C occurs, the practice in Egypt is mainly performed by medical personnel (doctors, nurses, and medical technicians). The recent national survey (EDHS 2008) reported that around 75 per cent of the total cases of circumcision in Egypt are done by medical personnel, mainly doctors. The medicalization of FGM/C is an alarming phenomenon in Egypt, for it legitimizes the practice and suggests, falsely, that FGM is done for health reasons. But as stated in a 2008 UN joint-agency statement, FGM/C is a practice that intentionally alters or injures female genital organs for non-medical reasons.
In response to the phenomenon of medicalization, the Egyptian Minister of Health issued a ministerial decree in 2007 forbidding medical personnel from performing FGM/C in both governmental and non-governmental health settings. To date there are no reports on doctors or other medical personnel who have been arrested or punished as a result of this practice.
Many Egyptians perceive FGM/C as a religious obligation. This is partly a result of the ambiguous position of Egyptian Islamic scholars on the issue. While some of scholars take a stand against the practice, others insist that FGM/C is an Islamic requirement. Al-Azhar Supreme Council of Islamic Research, the highest religious authority in Egypt, has condemned the practice as harmful and says it has no basis in core Islamic law and therefore should not be practiced. Dar el Ifta (the authority for issuing legal opinions) has also issued a fatwa (religious ruling) condemning FGM/C.
The Egyptian government and civil society groups are very concerned about the prevalence of FGM/C and together are working towards the total elimination of the practice. Since its establishment, the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood, currently under the newly established Ministry of Family and Population, has initiated a national program called “FGM free village” that has taken effect in 120 villages around the country. As a result of this organization’s efforts, a new law was passed in 2008 that criminalizes FGM/C and enforces harsh penalties (up to two years in person) for those who perform it. The law has been enforced slowly with the first FGM/C arrest taking place just this month.
More consolidated efforts are needed in order to eradicate FGM/C in Egypt and convince Egyptians, women especially, not to engage in the practice. Ministries should come together to develop and implement comprehensive and mainstreamed elimination plans. Civil society organizations should take a leading role in raising the awareness among Egyptian men and women. Furthermore, mass media outlets should provide more information on the issue, as mass media are the main source of information for most Egyptians. If FGM/C is to disappear in Egypt, more such efforts will be needed.
