Lundu Verein Demonstration made history by breaking the culture of silence

FGM must be spoken about loudly and clearly. The Lundu Verein Demonstration on the 25th of May 2024 was a great success, and it is just the beginning of a global struggle against FGM!

How many deaths of African girls will it take until we know that genital cutting of girls is evil? At infancy, a lot of girls are subjected to genital cutting in Africa and in Europe. Genital cutting of girls is an underground lucrative trade practiced in secrecy: it is criminal here in Europe, even in some African countries, to practice this horrific and medieval tradition which has no place in the twenty-first century. Big money is made in this trade. Some mothers will go to great lengths to have daughters circumcised. Because some girls do not survive genital cutting in African countries, girls from rich families are sent to Europe for circumcision by qualified doctors. Lundu Verein is saying NO to Genital cutting of babies, children, and young women in Africa, in Europe and everywhere else globally.

Origins of genital cutting of girls in African communities

It is not clear when and where female genital cutting originated from. Some journals say it originated from ancient Egypt (today’s Sudan) and the Middle East through Arab slave trade of black women and the arrival of Islam in the African continent. Today, in many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, genital cutting of girls is prevalent to this day, a culture and tradition deeply entrenched in communities in that region. In Gambia, Chad, Burkina Faso, and Mali, nine out of ten women have undergone genital cutting. About 30 African countries practice FGM, and it’s not specifical to Sahel regions. In East African regions: some ethnic groups in Kenya, Tanzania, Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, FGM is practiced too. According to Munich-based Fadumo Korn in Munich, an eminent advocate for the abolition of genital cutting of girls in Africa and in Europe, genital cutting of African women is as old as 500 years, and to break it needs concerted and combined efforts in global spheres and platforms by actors like Lundu Verein in Africa and Europe. One of the main challenges facing the eradication of FGM is that it is the mothers who are perpetuating the old practice and the willingness of genital cutters, the “grandmothers” who have perfected the practice want to keep this practice intact, a lucrative business for them. The same “grandmothers” are contracted to visit European countries, camouflaged as tourists for the purpose of genital cutting of girls living there.

Why genital cutting of African girls: a tradition and culture of generations!

The UN estimates about 200 million women have undergone FGM in the world. It is not specific to African communities only. However, in African societies, genital cutting of girls is mostly to control women’s sexuality. A woman who did not genitally cut is considered a dishonorable prostitute: her clitoris connotes maleness: it must be removed to reduce the maleness in her female anatomy. The practice became part of a tradition in many communities in the Sub-Saharan region. Before a girl can be accepted as an “adult and clean” she must undergo genital cutting. The pain that women endure in sexual relationships means that the men have the upper hand all the time. The patriarchal settings too, allow female genital cutting of girls as a cultural milieu to be extended from one generation to the next. There is a wider belief that a girl who never underwent genital cutting is dirty and has ugly genitalia: a beautiful and clean girl is the one that has undergone cutting! In a nutshell, genital cutting is a symbol of a girl's beauty and cleanliness.

Short-term and long-term effects can include:

“Chronic severe pain and excessive bleeding, difficulty when passing urine, cysts, infections, infertility, psychological problems due to chronic pain, diminished sexual pleasure, complications in childbirth and higher risk of new-born deaths”. (Taken from WHO 2023)

What does UN-Women specifically say about the genital cutting of girls?

According to UN-Women: genital cutting of girls: “It is one of the most vicious manifestations of the patriarchy that permeates our world” “Female genital mutilation is an abhorrent violation of fundamental human rights that causes lifelong damage to the physical and mental health of women and girls”. African countries are signatories to the relevant conventions. (Convention of the Right of the Child, CEDAW etc.) “Communities that practice female genital mutilation report a variety of social and religious reasons for continuing with it. Seen from a human rights perspective, the practice reflects deep-rooted inequality between the sexes, and constitutes an extreme form of discrimination against women. Female genital mutilation is always carried out on minors and is therefore a violation of the rights of the child. The practice also violates the rights to health, security and physical integrity of the person, the right to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman, degrading treatment, and the right to life when the procedure results in death”. (Taken from the World Health Organization, 2008)

Challenges of tackling and eradicating genital cutting of girls in Africa and Europe

However, in African societies, the reality on the ground is that girls are still subject to genital cutting, nothing has changed. This tradition is practiced by powerful old women, matriarchs in their own rights: the practice cannot be eradicated easily; genital cutters enjoy a special status in societies that they will not give up so easily: They are respected women mainly because of their age and the role they play in the society, but not forgetting the fiscal factor that entices the continuation of genital cutting.

There is a political element in the failure of African countries to abolish genital of girls in societies altogether. Politicians, even women, who openly condemned genital fear to lose elections. Again, there are women organizations fighting against the genital practices in African societies. Challenges in fighting deep-rooted injustices of centuries could be a tall order for them. The financial means to create activities put structures that give awareness to the dangers of genital are not available. Again, the culture of silence in African communities plays a part in concealing the practices: Genital cutting is done in deep secrecy without any traces and knowledge of the authorities, or they just overlook such controversies that put them in danger of being labeled rebellious to local thinking.

In Europe, and Germany there are African women who seek asylum on the grounds of fear from their countries of origin that their daughters will be subjected to genital cutting. The Geneva convention protects such cases because they are accepted as genuine cases and worthy of affording protection. It is, however, inconceivable, how the same mother would subject her daughter to genital cutting elsewhere in Portugal or France, using medical establishments who secretly operate on these girls clinically.

Some girls who do not come from rich families are cut by “grandmothers” from the African continent using non-clinical methods. The girls develop infections that need immediate hospital attention. Their families delay sending them for treatment for fear of being found out (that the daughter has infection due to genital cutting). The advanced stages of infection result in death. Medical doctors, apparently, do not recognize the root causes if the infection is advanced. This argument is speculative, how an experienced gynecologist is not able to establish facts about the initial causes of infection. Or is the life of an African girl not important? The right to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman, degrading treatment, and the right to life when the procedure results in death is enshrined in various UN conventions.

The German constitution about integrity, a fundamental right of all people.

“Every human being has the right to have his or her body and mind protected by the state, not violated”. (From the German constitution) This law should be applicable to African girls living in Germany and Europe too. Genital of girls is a crime stipulated in the German constitution and punishable by law. There are institutions that must be on alert about FGM practices here. It must begin with the medical academic curriculum at universities that lack knowledge(facilitation) about female genital (as a discipline). The medical fraternity in Germany and Europe must be upfront in situations related to genital cutting cases in their institutions. Another aspect is the legal position of African women who violate this law: what does the law say about genital cutters of African girls? What does the law say about mothers who force their daughters to go through genital cutting? Yes, it is considered criminal according to the law, but what are the consequences of violating the law? Is there a law that stipulates clearly how the perpetrators of genital cutting will be prosecuted? No child should be robbed of her rights defiling her body without her consent, mothers have no such rights over girl-children in this case. The German and EU laws must be able to stipulate exactly the repercussions of the law in simple and in plain legal language understood by laymen.

The EU position on genital cutting of girls in Europe.

“Although it is illegal in the EU and some member states prosecute genital cutting of girls and young women, even when it is performed outside the country, it is estimated that about 600,000 women living in Europe have been subjected to FGM and a further 180,000 girls are at a high risk in 13 European countries alone”. (EU Parliament 13.02.2020) It is, however, of great importance to clearly stipulate the consequences in terms of legalities so that African women know them. Lundu Verein asks German politicians to assist us in out struggle by highlighting the spread of genital cutting in European countries that take place clandestinely form one continent to the other.

Criminal syndicates that cut across EU borders and the African continent must be brought to justice. The lives of African children must be protected by institutions in the EU and in Africa. There should be regular coverage of genital of African girls on social media (houses) in the EU to bring awareness and the wickedness of genital cutting of children even by genital cutters from Africa and qualified doctors in the EU who will cut genitals of girls for the sake of lucrative trade related to it.

How can EU politicians assist in eradicating FGM of African girls in the EU?

1. Realize that FGM cuts across national borders of EU especially Germany, Portugal, and Franc and to seek tangible solutions for its abolition. Verbalize FGM in Brussels, at parliament level. EU politicians must be made aware of this practice done secretly to avert authorities. EU doctors are making lucrative business on genital cutting of African girls.
2. EU politicians who are lawyers and medical doctors by profession should assist in highlighting issues related to FGM and give answers on how to tackle serious problems related to FGM to young girls in the EU in medical and legal institutions.
3. Engaging mainline social media to bring local, national, and international awareness to FGM.

EU politicians who will manage to get into EU parliament in 2024 should use their mandate to talk about the plight of young African girls who are subjected to genital cutting by camouflaged “tourists” from the African continent. Their preferred destination is Portugal and France because of the easy language. The protection of under-age children should be of great concern to politicians and activists to eradicate FGM here in Europe and Africa once and for all. Kudos to Lundu Verein Bremen! You made your mark. The culture of silence is now broken forever!