Underlying Reasons for the Persistence of Female Genital Mutilation

It is through this organization I have been given the opportunity to visit villages where FGM
used to be performed.
Gallapo Village
In Gallapo village FGM used to be a part of the society and was strongly connected to the
tradition of FGM. Since the illegalisation of FGM and through education and help from AFNET,
the practice is no longer exercised in Gallapo. A woman who has grown up in this village
explained that in order to get married, you needed to get circumcised since it was the only way
for a man to get sexually satisfied. If a girl did not undergo circumcision she was shameful, not
prepared for marriage, and other people in the village would gossip about her, and consider her
disgraceful. The procedure would take place somewhere where only the girl’s mother or
grandmother and the women performing were present. Before FGM became illegal it was done
on older girls, between 5 and 15. In recent decades the woman explains that it could be done in
secrecy on infant babies up to three months. It is a common tradition in some African countries,
that when a baby is born, the mother and the baby stay in the house and do not go outside during
a period of three months. This is the speculated time where the procedure could take place
instead.
A man coming from the same village was recently affected by the issues of FGM when his
mother wanted his daughters to undergo the procedure. As the men in many households have the
final say, he refused. He feels that it is a useless practice since when it comes to girls’ health,
tradition does not matter. His mother was very keen on keeping the tradition and she felt that it
was a real shame to abandon it, because she felt that it was the only way for her granddaughters
to get married. The man also explained that it is highly important to educate men in this matter;
he believed that the only purpose of this was to keep the girls from being with many men. If the
girl is circumcised it is believed that she will only be with the man she will marry.
AFNET, who works to prevent FGM, went to this area and people were informed of the dangers
and consequences of this practice. According to this organization, the campaign in this particular
area seemed to have been successful.
AFNET operates in the affected communities by reaching out to the women performing FGM
and the men upholding it. By first learning about why this tradition is important they can find the
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