Senegal: Breaking the cycle of FGM

By law, a child's parents and those who conduct the FGM could face a five-year prison sentence. In reality, however, almost two decades since the ban was introduced, the practice continues and very few have ever been prosecuted.

There are four types of FGM:

• Type I: Partial or total removal of the clitoris and/or the prepuce (clitoridectomy).

• Type II: Partial or total removal of the clitoris and the labia minora, with or without excision of the labia majora (excision).

• Type III: Narrowing of the vaginal orifice with the sealing of the vaginal opening by cutting and repositioning the labia minora and/or the labia majora. This is done with or without excision of the clitoris (infibulation).

• Type IV: All other invasive procedures on the female genitalia for non-medical purposes, including pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterising.

(Source: WHO, UNICEF)

Eina Heba continues to perform FGM on young girls despite the ban. She has been doing it for more than 20 years.

For each procedure, she receives two bars of soap, six kilos of rice, a chicken and $3 in payment.

Arame is a 44-year-old mother from the Wolof tribe, where female cutting is not practiced. Her mother, however, comes from the Kolda region, where the practice is widespread.

"Since we are a Wolof family, my father didn't want us to be cut. My mother, who came from Kolda, wanted to cut her daughters, so two of us were cut. She was worried that no man would want to marry us otherwise. One of my sisters got ill because of the procedure. When my father found out, he was so angry that he almost divorced my mother. That was when my mum stopped cutting us. People were talking about us, but we weren't ashamed."

Arame chose not to cut any of her daughters.

Mariama, 10, underwent FGM. Her younger sister died of post-procedure complications when she was a year old. Mariama says that when she has a daughter of her own, she will not cut her.

Mariam wants to be a policewoman when she grows up. She believes education is key to changing attitudes to FGM.

"As a policewoman I will be able to fight against FGM and fight for girls' education. One day I will have my own baby, and because I know how it feels to have it done and I have lost my baby sister to it, I will not do this to my own child. It will end here."

There are no known health benefits of FGM. Some of the problems caused by the practice include:

• Severe loss of blood, pain or shock
• Urination and menstrual obstruction
• Increased risk of urinary tract infections and HIV
• Mental health problems, including PTSD
• Sexual dysfunction, including dyspareunia
• Complications in pregnancy and childbirth, sometimes leading to death

Aliou Cisse is a local radio DJ

"I came here to learn more about the subject. I am the host of a radio programme, and I want to be able to talk about FGM on the radio. I have come here to get the right information. Cutting is a harmful practice. The little girl cannot decide for herself if she wants it, and, therefore, she is a victim of the practice."

"It was important for me to hear that the practice already existed before Islam was introduced here, so it has nothing to do with our religion. I didn't know this. Now I can tell people who tell me it is part of our religion that this is not true - that cutting doesn't come from the Quran, but from our cultural traditions, and that it is not good because doctors say it is harmful to the girls and even to women when they have to give birth."

"My wife is cut. I would have preferred she wasn't because I know the risks that come with it."

Fanta, a mother of six, has been taking part in the awareness campaigns for the past seven years.

Every year the campaigners visit her small community to explain the dangers of FGM.

She stopped performing FGM on her daughters after she learned of the dire consequences of the practice.

"Cutting is a bad practice, because the child faces health difficulties later. It is unsanitary and can cause diseases via knife contamination."

"We don't cut girls today; that was in the past."