The reasons for female genital mutilation are a complex web of social norms, economic pressures, and ignorance. School holidays are a risky period for girls at risk of mutilation: they have time to recover from the procedure, and teachers might not notice.
Every year, International Solidarity Foundation, in collaboration with local partner organizations, organizes safe camps for girls at risk of mutilation. During these camps, parents also receive information about the harms of mutilation and commit to protecting their daughters from it.
Project description
Sukuelinten silpominen on sitä harjoittavissa yhteisössä merkittävä asia, sillä se toimii niin sanottuna siirtymäriittinä: tärkeänä siirtymänä lapsuudesta aikuisuuteen, tytöstä naiseksi. Silpomista pidetään avioliiton ja yhteiskunnallisen hyväksynnän takeena tytölle, ja silpomisen läpikäynyt nainen nähdään ”puhtaana” ja sopivana vaimona.
Silpomistoimenpiteen yhteydessä tytön läheiset sekä yhteisön vaikutusvaltaiset jäsenet kokoontuvat yhteen juhlimaan tytön kasvua kohti naiseutta. Tämä on myös monille tytöille itselleen tärkeä ja odotettu hetki, joka liittää heidät osaksi sukupolvien ketjua.
Vahvojen sosiaalisten normien vuoksi tyttöjen sukuelinten silpomista on vaikea kitkeä pelkästään lakeja muuttamalla: perinteet ja tavat sekä sosiaaliset ja moraaliset normit muuttuvat hitaasti. Esimerkiksi Kenian Kisiissä ja Nyamirassa monet tytöt käyvät yhä läpi sukuelinten silpomistoimenpiteen, vaikka se kriminalisoitiin vuonna 2011.
Tiedon lisääntyminen toimenpiteen lääketieteellisistä riskeistä ei myöskään ole johtanut silpomisen loppumiseen. Sen sijaan toimenpide on osittain medikalisoitunut eli lääketieteellistynyt, ja terveydenhuollon ammattilaiset ansaitsevat lisätuloja silpomalla tyttöjä salassa.
Possibilities
It’s possible to influence socially constructed phenomena through methods that are linked to social norms. Change in people’s attitudes is achievable when the right community members are engaged and collaborative approaches are developed with them. These approaches should respect valuable traditions while reshaping norms from within the community.
Challenges
The phenomenon of female genital mutilation encompasses multiple layers: the procedure is viewed as ensuring a woman’s sexual “purity” while also being part of valuable local cultural heritage.
On the other hand, addressing the issue might be perceived as an attempt to weaken the region’s own culture and break centuries-old traditions due to “European influences,” or to loosen sexual morality.
Social norms also change slowly: there are no quick wins in this work.
Goal: Creating an alternative rite of passage
The girls’ safe camp provides what is called an alternative rite of passage: the celebration of a girl’s transition to womanhood is marked by supporting traditional values through replacing a violent tradition with a non-violent one. The girl becomes the center of attention for her parents and loved ones, dressing in her finest, while the parents have the opportunity to celebrate their daughter’s growth. However, the violent practice that would have a lasting impact on the girl’s life is not part of this celebration.
The celebration includes community elders, leaders, teachers, healthcare professionals, and community influencers, all playing a crucial role in the new tradition.
Equally significant is that both the girls and their parents are present at the safe camp together. Social norms often carry mistaken assumptions about what “everyone else” thinks. In the case of mutilation, many parents wrongly assume that the majority of other parents support the practice and want their daughters to undergo it.
Therefore, the discussions and communal declarations against mutilation during the camp play an important role in breaking down old norms.
Project details
Location: Kisii & Nyamira, Kenya
Implementation Period: Safe camps are organized during school holidays.
Partners: Manga Heart & CECOME
