7.9 million women and girls in Tanzania have undergone female genital mutilation. Today we call for this to end.
Today is the International Day of zero tolerance to female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM). Let me start this piece by this quote:“My mother told me that FGM was important for my family’s dignity, bringing glory and respect to my parents and that after FGM I would gain higher status and recognition in the community and be able to marry a rich, respected and caring husband.”It is estimated that 7.9 million women and girls in Tanzania have undergone FGM.That is a story many young girls are given when they reach puberty, among Tanzanian tribes that practice FGM. But this particular story is from a lady called Mary who later turned into a campaigner against the practice.FGM is a practice that has affected at least 125 million girls and women in 29 countries in sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East. It is constantly evolving, hence prolonging its existence even as it raises many question as to why those who do it, do, despite a world of evidence to show that it is harmful.A few years ago I worked with a women’s NGO campaigning for the rights of women and children and heard horrific stories of increasingly much younger girls being targeted simply because activists have put many efforts to protect teenagers against the cut. Now UNICEF reports that in half of the countries with available data, the majority of girls were cut before age five.Do not ask us, ask the femalesA few years back, I asked a group of Maasai elders, why is it so important to them to marry a ‘cut’ Maasai girl, while if they married outside their tribe say in Kigoma, they will not get such a woman. They lightly answered “do not ask us, ask the females. They are the ones cutting other females!”Further into the discussion, it turned that many had no knowledge of the extent of the cut and the risk it puts the girl later in life, especially during childbirth.FGM is described as a violation of girls’ and women’s human rights and is condemned by many international treaties and conventions, as well as by national legislation in many countries, including Tanzania.Mama Ye!’s call to you and everyone in Tanzania is to get the right information and act to end the practice in Tanzania. There should always be zero tolerance to FGM in our country.