What are the steps we need to take to address it correctly?
By: Ebony Tempral | OTH News | Posted: April 22, 2019 7:29am
FGM has been an illegal practice in Canada since 1997. This criminal offence violates the human rights of girls and women. Offenders can face imprisonment of up to 14 years. This law is shared with newcomers upon arrival as of the 2018 new citizenship guide. But studies have shown those who perform this mutilation, still enter and leave the country, sometimes taking women with them. In other words, “Vacation cutting”. Horrible acts are happening right under our nose. Where do we begin to tear down the secrecy?
What is FGM?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), FGM is defines as the intentional altering or injuring of the female genitals for non-medical reasons.
There a 3 types of Female Genital Mutilation:
· Clitoridectomy- removal of the clitoris.
· Excision- removal of clitoris and labia.
· Infibulation- sealing of the vaginal opening.
· Type 4- harmful procedures like pricking, piercing, incising, scraping.
It Is not a religious practice. There are no health benefits and procedures such as these can leave long lasting physical, mental and emotional complications for the victim. It can cause cysts, infections and bleeding to name a few. Reproductive health is also put at risk; painful intercourse and pregnancy complications.
It is mostly children from infancy to 15 years old that are this practice is carried out on. Over 200 million females to date have been subjected to this cruel act. This across 30 countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. The most cases come out of 29 African and Middle Eastern countries. In total 27.2 million women have been victims of FGM in just Egypt alone. Somalia has the highest rate at 98%.
Infograph: FGM statistics
Spiritual leaders and pillars within the community are traditional circumcisers and carry out the mutilation. [Translation for video in YouTube video description]
"As I cut pieces of the flesh around her vaginal area, the girl is in a lot of pain. When the body moves, the knife keeps on sliding and even the piece of flesh you are holding slips off the fingers and so I end up cutting other places down there."
"I remember laying on the surgical table and my mom watching me and that was when I really realized I was going to be mutilated."
FGM in Canada
There are some scary revelations about this practice that most don’t notice. We don’t very often discuss the topic on mainstream media but here’s what happening when we’re not looking close enough.
In an article done by the Global Citizen, they reported a 2016 study down by Sahiyo, an organization providing resources for victims of FGM. In their findings, 385 women around the world were surveyed and 18 (5%) lived in Canada and all had been subjected to FGM, two having the procedure within Canada.
Another study by the federal government revealed women from a small Muslim sect called the Dawoodi Bohras had the practice done to them while in Canada.
For more reading: https://www.thestar.com/news/fgm/2017/07/14/canadian-girls-are-being-taken-abroad-to-undergo-female-genital-mutilation-documents-reveal.html
There has yet to be a criminal prosecution of FGM in Canada.
There’s an ethical dilemma at play. How do you go about tackling the issue head on without being insensitive and discriminatory?
What now?
Initiatives have been put in place by the government to fight the practice. Canada has invested $650 million to sexual and reproductive health and rights in July 2017. This was done as a response to gender-based violence like FGM. Canada also committed another 3 million dollars the following year to stop FGM in Benin, Africa.
In a report by the CBC the RCMP spokesman Sgt. Harold Pfleiderer said the national police force in conjunction with the RCMP, are working on a policy that aids in fighting crimes such as “honor-based" violence and FGM.
Other smaller organizations exist within Canada to provide resources for those who need help:
I.E. Caring for kids news to Canada, Ontario Human Rights Commission and Canadian Council for Refugees.
These are all steps in the right direction.
Heathcare and protective services are the next step; making resources readily available for those who have suffered this tremendous injustice.
There is a global fight against this practice. It is recognized as a violation of human rights. The barbaric practice is an illinformed cultural custom. We must continue with case studies, education and exposure, investigations, therapy and rehabilitation and strategy to find offenders and reprimand them accordingly.
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