By Priscilla Rodriguez
On Wednesday, April 16, members of Hermandad de Sigma Iota Alpha, Inc. Sorority and Collegiate Women of Color came together to raise awareness about a 5,000 year old ritual, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
“I had to write a paper about [FGM] for class and thought people should know about it, especially because of its growing prevalence in America,” said Jessica Robles, President of the Hofstra chapter of Hermandad de Sigma Iota Alpha.
Sigma Iota Alpha joined forces with Equality Now, whose mission includes working to end FGM and violence and discrimination against women and girls around the world. Equality Now’s executive director, Taina Bien-Aime, was present to provide information on this act that still exists in our society.
“Women’s rights were not always considered human rights,” Bien-Aime said. Equality Now has fought to make violence against women a human rights violation.
FGM involves the removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. The cutting occurs under unsterile conditions, and there is no use of anesthesia. It is practiced extensively in Africa. In Kenya, it is a rite of passage for girls between the age of 9 and 15. In west Africa, it is a rite performed at birth.
“There is the sense that this [FGM] is an Islamic practice, but this is not true,” Bien-Aime said. FGM is not only practiced in areas of Africa, but also in the U.S., Europe and wherever there are immigrant populations. “One belief, by those who practice FGM, is that if a girl is not cut, she will become a man,” Bien-Aime continued.
Girls and women who do not undergo the FGM procedure are seen as second-class citizens and unworthy of marriage. But, these women often suffer lifelong health-associated problems and psychological and physical consequences including pain during sexual intercourse, as a result of FGM.
Equality Now works with grass-roots organizations around the world to educate villages who perform FGM on their women. They spread the knowledge of what a healthy body is and the dangers with FGM. “Once people are aware that this is a human rights violation, they will want to take action,” Bien-Aime said.
Activists for FGM have also begun to mobilize men to teach them that FGM is not necessary. “Involving men to fight against FGM is very critical,” Bien-Aime said. “Men hold more power and are able to influence their community.” Bien-Aime believes that the world does not truly know what equality is just yet.
As of June 2007, 17 of the 28 countries where FGM is practiced now have laws prohibiting this harmful practice. A law that allows women to claim asylum because of FGM now exists.
“FGM can’t end unless you have community participation and initiative,” Bien-Aime said.
More information on FGM can be found on the Equality Now Web site, www.equalitynow.org.