How baptism ceremonies conceal FGM practice in community

TANZANIA: IF you are asked to provide reasons for practicing Female genital mutilation (FGM), don’t be surprised to hear some people reasoning and believing that the practice has religious support, although no religious scripts prescribe the practice.

In a nutshell, female genital mutilation is a crime. Nothing justifies it. No one should stay silent.

As we advocate for Zero Tolerance for FGM, let’s not ignore that nearly 140 million women and girls in the African continent have undergone through it and it is a serious human rights violation and a form of gender-based violence that must be fought by all.

However, this can prompt one to ask-what’s FGM. Without mincing words, comprises all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.

As it is being promoted by some tribes traditionally to control a girl’s sexuality and to promote premarital virginity and marital fidelity, we must realise that all women and girls have the right to control what happens to their bodies and the right to say no to FGM.

Take a case study of the Maasai community, where some families in Longido District, Arusha Region, are allegedly using baptism ceremonies to cover and circumcise young girls to avoid being arrested and taken to court.

This kind of practise should not only be fought by force, but by constant education right into the grassroots that its a harmful behavour.

Here, many children under the age of two have been found to have undergone FGM in certain villages in Longido District.

Speaking during the launch of a project aimed at raising awareness against FGM and violence against women and children in the district, some government leaders suggested that action be taken against those responsible.

The project is being implemented by Media Aid For Indigenous and Pastoralists Communities (MAIPAC) is a testimony that its only education that will fight the menace.

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Reached for a comment, Longido District Council Development Officer, Rashid Hussein, said that after the government intensified its crackdown on those practicing FGM, a new tactic has emerged where children are secretly circumcised during baptism ceremonies.

“We have already identified this, and we have given instructions to leaders at the village level to monitor these events and report any instances of FGM during baptism ceremonies early,” he pointed out.

He added that they have also found some leaders settling these cases through informal talks in villages. He warned that leaders who turn a blind eye to FGM in their areas will face government action.

In another development, Longido District Medical Officer, Dr. Methew Majani, said they have discovered that some women who go through the practice get a lot of pain, when they arrive at the hospital to deliver.

Dr. Majani explained that women who have undergone through the FGM are also made to refrain from eating with the idea that it will save them from experiencing further complications during childbirth.

“Additionally, pregnant women are being delayed from reaching health facilities, which is unacceptable since President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s government has made great efforts to build health centers and hospitals to ensure women receive good and timely care,” he said.

He noted that FGM has caused deaths among women and children due to excessive bleeding and a lack of strength to deliver safely.

Commenting on this, MAIPAC Director, Mussa Juma, said the project was initiated after journalists conducted research in the district and found that despite the government’s extensive efforts to fight FGM, young girls were still being circumcised.

“We sent journalists to villages to investigate, and they brought back reports which we used to seek funding for further education on fighting FGM and raising awareness. We thank Cultural Survival for supporting us,” he said.

Merikinoi Orkesyanye shared her testimony, saying she had undergone FGM and had given birth to eight children.

However, during the birth of her eighth child, she developed fistula as a result of the circumcision.

“We have suffered because of FGM, and I am thankful to the district doctor and others who have helped me. I now see the dangers, and I urge my fellow women and traditional elders to stop FGM, as it is dangerous for our health and our children,” she said.

While educating about the effects of FGM, Mary Laizer, who herself underwent FGM, said she is now working to ensure that no children are circumcised, and she has successfully raised her child without FGM.

Mary emphasized the serious consequences of FGM, including excessive bleeding, loss of sexual pleasure, and, most gravely, the risk of death for both mother and child.

Mary demonstrated the different types of FGM and their effects, urging both men and women to join the fight against FGM.

In this MAIPAC project, in collaboration with partners like the Tembo organization and the district council, they plan to visit various villages to oppose FGM and form village committees to fight against the practice.