Sudan Passes An Anti-FGM Law Making It Punishable With A Prison Sentence. But This Is A Secret Cultural Practise, Will A Law Be Enough?

Here’s the thing, this world has been unfair to women for far too long. Men have picked on us, torn our self-respect to shreds and benefited from our pain and misery and all we have done is kept quiet and let them walk all over us. Why? Because that is what we are classically conditioned to do. This toxic patriarchal system has consumed us for generations, but we have only very recently started to do something about it.

While some heinous crimes that stem from this rigid patriarchy like rapes and domestic violence are out in the open, the more gruesome ones are buried under veils of secrecy and in the shaming women of the communities in which they are prevalent. I am talking about crimes beyond our imagination, like female genital mutilation (FGM). If you might believe this horrendous practice is a thing of the past, you are in for a huge shock. For those of you who don’t know what FGM is, it’s the partial or complete removal of the external female genitalia (the clitoris) for non-medical reasons.

According to the WHO, more than 200 million girls and women alive today have said to have gone through FGM in 30 countries where it’s most prevalent. North-Eastern, Western and Eastern Africa are the hotspots for this crime and some parts of the Middle East and Asia also fall in the category.

Also Read: An UNFPA Study Shows That The Coronavirus Crisis May Lead To Unwanted Pregnancies And More Cases Of FGM. This Is Worrying

Great news! A new law in #Sudan criminalizes #FGM, a harmful practice that 9 in 10 Sudanese women are said to have endured. However, laws alone cannot eliminate the practice, there's a lot to be done for the society to accept this and stop #FGM.https://t.co/kH1KleMMwe

— The Arab Institute for Women (AiW), LAU (@Ai4Women) May 2, 2020

However, after the atrocity that has been this year, we finally have some really good news. Sudan, a country where FGM is highly practised, has finally criminalised it. The transitional government of Sudan amended its criminal legislation stating that anyone caught practising FGM either inside a medical facility or elsewhere, will be punished up to three years in prison and will have to pay a fine. Okay, I just have to say this, three years is not enough punishment. In no way does the punishment fit the crime, it needs to be way stricter than three years.

According to the UN data, nine out of ten girls and women in Sudan are victims of FGM. The procedure leads to a wide range of lifelong health issues since it’s not performed by medical professionals.

Women’s rights groups are saying that this next move will propel Sudan into a “new era” for girls and women’s rights around the country. On the flip side, they have also warned that even though this new anti-FGM law plays a part in ending the prevalence of the practice, changing the mindset of people who deem FGM as a necessary tradition will be next to impossible. Especially since this practice is viewed as a compulsion to marry their daughters.

Faiza Mohamed, Africa regional director for Equality Now “FGM prevalence in Sudan is one of the highest globally. It is now time to use punitive measures to ensure girls are protected from this torturous practice.” He further added, “Having a law against FGM acts as an important deterrent, however, Sudan may face challenges in enforcing legislation. People who still believe in the practice might not report cases or act to stop FGM when they know it is happening.”

There are two sides to every coin, right? On one side this law is a breakthrough for the girls and women in Sudan who have lived all their life in fear and pain. On the other (more pessimistic but realistic) side, passing an anti-FGM law and getting rid of the practice are two completely different things. This practice is so entrenched in their heritage that it would take a complete mindset makeover to get rid of it. But hey, this law is a great first step to doing just that.

Also Read: Several Saudi Women Share Why They Didn’t Report Their Sexual Assault By Their Own Family Members And It Shows The Ugliness Of A Patriarchal Society

Sudan’s new government has outlawed female genital mutilation, a move hailed as a major victory by women’s rights campaigners in a country where the often dangerous practice is widespread https://t.co/msjPgtF5iV

— The New York Times (@nytimes) May 1, 2020

You know, funnily enough, if you think about it, this is the same problem with most Indian social issues. Denial and a rigid mindset are also the reason we haven’t been able to solve some very obvious redundant issues with our society like child marriage, for example. Though we have strict laws in place, it still is a rampant practice.

Having said that, did you know that India is a great example of a country where FGM is so well concealed (by the noise mostly) that most of our citizens don’t know it happens? Yep, there is a section of Indian’s, mostly occurring in the Dawoodi Bohra Muslim community. For the women and girls in this community, this hellish practice is a reality even today. The irony of this situation is this sect of the Muslim community is said to be more liberal towards women.

FGM also called khatna by the Bohra Muslims might not only lead to intense pain and a ruptured urethra but also painful sex and an inability to orgasm. At least in India is this procedure is performed by untrained midwives or older women of the community who do this for a living. The families want to ensure that the girl doesn’t bring shame to the family or the community, so they have her go under the knife when she is anywhere from 6-10 years old. Since the women have no formal training, the girls usually get severely infected or are bleeding for days continuously.

If you thought this is a nightmare, it gets worse. India has no specific law banning FGM. In 2017, the Ministry of Women and Child Development reported that there was no official data that supports the existence of FGM in India. Do you see what I meant when I said it’s done in extreme secrecy? We need a specific law that only addresses FGM and the complications that come with it.

A lot of communities around the world are ridden with FGM and it’s high time we do more than just pass a law to eradicate this problem on paper. If people don’t report the crime (which they have been known to do), the law is essentially useless.

https://thehauterfly.com/lifestyle/supreme-court-questions-the-practice-of-female-genital-mutilation-its-about-time/