How Many Girls Must Die From FGM?

Women are priceless and strong. They gracefully light up the earth with their love. With courage, they build their homes and with their hearts of gold, they face and conquer challenges. But yes, they are very vulnerable as well. Despite these beautiful things we see about women, a lot of them, when younger fall victim to a sobering reality that poses a danger to the very essence of womanhood. Let’s talk about Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

FGM, according to the World Health Organization is a traditional, harmful practice that involves the partial or total removal of external female genitalia. It is a non-medical and barbaric practice that has absolutely no health benefit. It occurs mostly when they are children.

Article 11 of the Child Rights Act (2003) protects the dignity of a child, and the practice of FGM in no little way, tramples on the rights of the affected victims. The history of FGM dates as far back as almost 2000 years ago, and the procedure may involve cutting, piercing or sewing all or parts of a girl’s external genital. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says as many as 200 million girls and women have been subjected to FGM worldwide.

Given how long ago this began, one would think that it is no longer a cause for concern, especially with how quickly the world is rapidly going global. Remarkably, according to data from the UN Population Fund, approximately 4.3 million girls were at risk of female genital mutilation in 2023, and several nations continue to carry out this practice. We would have attributed it to a lack of awareness and participation if this had occurred when there was no internet presence, but in 2024, when everyone is connected and lives in one big global village, what do we say?

In the earlier days, factors like cultural and social norms contributed to the large number of FGM reports. Lack of awareness is also a factor that contributes to FGM. Also, there’s the economic factor where the parents of these victims may receive incentives and gifts or benefits from the government. In some countries, it is viewed as a gateway to womanhood.

FGM can have immediate and or long-term consequences. The immediate consequences include excessive bleeding, infections, genital tissue swelling, shock and even death. The long-term benefits include urinary and sexual issues, vaginal and menstrual problems, and also a need for later surgeries.

This is a global problem that needs urgent attention, and thankfully, organizations like UNICEF, WHO, CDC, and a number of others are relentless in lending their voices to this problem. This is evident as even on 6th February, 2024, the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, UNICEF contributed by reaffirming their dedication to girls who were victims of FGM. Furthermore, the SDG 5.3 aims at eliminating all harmful practices such as child, early and forced marriage and FGM. This goes to show that as much as this is a big problem, there are giants standing to fight it as well.

This is indeed amazing, but we also need to remember that, no matter where we are in the world, we have a part to play, even as simple as disseminating information, particularly in places where internet connectivity is scarce. Who knows? You might just be saving a girl child. Additionally, community-based initiatives, grassroot campaigns and awareness programs can help change attitude towards FGM.