{"id":110029,"date":"2025-02-06T13:23:12","date_gmt":"2025-02-06T18:23:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sayaspora.com\/?p=110029"},"modified":"2025-05-14T10:31:52","modified_gmt":"2025-05-14T14:31:52","slug":"the-forgotten-fights-of-african-women","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sayaspora.com\/en\/the-forgotten-fights-of-african-women\/","title":{"rendered":"The Forgotten Fights of African Women"},"content":{"rendered":"

February 6th is the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, an annual awareness day supported by the United Nations to raise awareness and combat female genital mutilation.<\/em><\/p>\n

Whenever we hear someone talk about bodily autonomy, the first things we think of are a woman\u2019s right to say no<\/em> to sex, to have an abortion, or to refuse forced marriages. Although these are very important issues, they\u2019re not the only aspects of bodily autonomy that women have to fight for. There\u2019s also what we call FGM, or female genital mutilation.<\/p>\n

What Is It?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a process in which a part of a woman\u2019s vulva is cut in order to prevent her from feeling sexual pleasure. This practice is rooted in sexism and misogyny and is used to control women\u2019s sexuality. It\u2019s important to note that it is in no way linked to religion and that this practice has actually existed for thousands of years, long before the arrival of monotheistic religions on the African continent.<\/p>\n

FGM, which is performed on babies, young girls, and even adult women, is extremely painful and poses serious health risks, such as severe bleeding, infections, complications during childbirth, and urinary issues. There\u2019s also a significant psychological impact on women who undergo this procedure, which is something that is rarely talked about.<\/p>\n

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FGM is sometimes performed illegally by medical professionals, such as in Egypt, where, in 2008, 77% of FGM cases were performed by healthcare providers. However, in most cases, it\u2019s done in extremely dangerous and unsanitary conditions, often without any anesthesia. That is why it is criminalized in almost every country on earth.<\/p>\n

Sadly, certain countries in Africa and Asia still allow and even encourage the practice of FGM, as they view it as a symbol of purity, modesty, and respect. In many African communities, having been \u201ccut\u201d is required in order to get married, and women who haven\u2019t been \u201ccut\u201d are shunned by their peers. The weight of societal expectations and traditions is so heavy that it\u2019s often too difficult for individuals to fight against it. Because of this, over 230 million women have been cut, with 144 million of them being African. In Asia, over 80 million women have undergone FGM.<\/p>\n

African Responsibility<\/strong><\/p>\n

So, who\u2019s to blame for this? No one\u2014and everyone. Men, our leaders, and our societies at large have failed to protect women from this barbaric practice. I\u2019m the first to praise Africa and talk about how it\u2019s such a beautiful continent with so much to offer. However, let\u2019s be honest\u2014we\u2019re not leaders when it comes to women\u2019s rights.<\/p>\n

\n

If we manage to educate people\u2014especially men\u2014about the dangers and consequences of FGM, it might make them reconsider the practice.<\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The Solutions<\/strong><\/p>\n

The real question now is: what are the solutions to finally eliminate female genital mutilation?\u00a0Well, there\u2019s no miracle solution, but I have found a few things that could help us eradicate it. It all starts with education. If we manage to educate people\u2014especially men\u2014about the dangers and consequences of FGM, it might make them reconsider the practice. Also, raising awareness on a global scale could make a real difference and inspire more people to fight to end this practice. Social media has already been a helpful tool, with the hashtag #EndFGM gaining traction.<\/p>\n

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Another solution would be to support global organizations like UNICEF and UNFPA, whose mission is to fight for human rights and children\u2019s rights, including the eradication of FGM. Our leaders also need to pass strict laws that ban and criminalize FGM.<\/p>\n

Lastly, people\u2019s mentalities and perceptions of women need to change. Men need to start seeing women as human beings who deserve respect and equal rights. Obviously, not all men are sexist or believe that women are inferior, but the fact that this practice has persisted for so long proves that enough men either agree with it or don\u2019t disagree with it strongly enough to take a stand.<\/p>\n

Sources<\/strong><\/p>\n

UNICEF. (n.d.). Female genital mutilation<\/em>. UNICEF. Retrieved from https:\/\/www.unicef.org\/protection\/female-genital-mutilation<\/a><\/p>\n

UNFPA. (n.d.). Female genital mutilation<\/em>. UNFPA. Retrieved from https:\/\/www.unfpa.org\/female-genital-mutilation<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

February 6th is the International Day of Zero Tolerance for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":110030,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[238],"tags":[261],"couleur":[],"etiquette-darchives":[],"type-de-ressource":[],"class_list":["post-110029","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-magazine-en","tag-society"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Forgotten Fights of African Women - Sayaspora<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sayaspora.com\/en\/the-forgotten-fights-of-african-women\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Forgotten Fights of African Women - 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