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With only three months left before our second annual “Walk to End FGM” on Saturday, October 31, 2015, we are sending out a registration reminder to you.  The months will escape you shortly, and we don’t want you to miss out on the early bird registration fee.  We are anticipating a larger turnout this year so get in early on the excitement!  Visit our website at www.globalwomanpeacefoundation.org and register to Walk to End FGM.  You may start a team, join a team or make a donation if you are unable to join us.  We look forward to seeing you there!

You can host an “End FGM Social” in your home city and Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation will come to you and do a presentation.  As the campaign against female genital mutilation gains continued recognition in the United States and around the world, Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation invites you to help us share knowledge of the practice with attendees at your next conference, your next social event, in your home, with students in your academic institution, in your community center or in your place of worship.

A Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation advocate will travel to your “End FGM Social” and will do a PowerPoint Presentation, share a film, lead a discussion or deliver a talk on one of the following topics or a topic of your choice on FGM:

• U.S. Laws on FGM
• The United Nations and FGM
• The History of FGM
• The Benefits of the Restorative Surgery
• The Psychological challenges FGM Survivors Face
• Vacation Cutting and the Law
• The FGM Connection to Infant & Maternal Mortalities
• FGM and Child Marriage

If you are interested in educating your friends, neighbors, family members, community, attendees at your next event or students on the facts about female genital mutilation, please contact us at info@globalwomanpeacefoundation.org or call us at 703.818.3787 or visit our website at www.globalwomanpeacefoundation.org.  We look forward to hearing from you and possibly seeing you at your very own “End FGM Social”!

By A.M. Peabody

 

Female genital mutilation, more commonly known as FGM, female circumcision or even female genital cutting is the partial or total removal of the female external genitalia for non-medical reasons.  External genitals include the clitoris, the labia, the pubis (the fatty issue over the pubic bone), and the urethral and vaginal openings.  The clitoris is the small, sensitive and erectile part of the female genitals.

Over the years, there have been debates over an acceptable name to call the practice of removing all or parts of the female genitalia.  To quote a survivor of the practice, “Regardless of what it is called, it is what it is.  No sugar-coated name can erase what was done to me when I was five years old.”  Many women who are survivors of the practice become offended if someone refers to it as “cutting” or “circumcision”.  They feel that those words tend to lessen the magnitude of what they suffered so many years ago or what little girls continue to suffer daily around the world.

The traditional type of FGM, known as the Sunna Circumcision consists of the removal of the retractable fold of the skin and the tip of the clitoris.  Ninety-seven (97%) of Egyptian girls undergo the Sunna Circumcision.  In some West African countries, the tip of the clitoris is removed.

The Clitoridectomy type consists of the excision of the clitoris in its entirety and the removal of the adjacent labia.  It is usually performed as part of female initiation rites, mainly among certain African ethnic groups, but also sometimes used in various societies to curb sexual desire.  It was also known as the 20th century solution to preventing masturbation among girls.

The Infibulation type, known as the Pharonic Circumcision consists of performing a Clitoridectomy and the removal of all or part of the labia minora and the labia majora.  During this type, whatever skin is left is usually stitched up, allowing only a small hole to accommodate urine and menstrual blood flow.  In some cultures, the Infibulation type consists of the narrowing of the vaginal opening through the creation of a covering seal.  The seal is formed by cutting and sewing over the outer labia, with or without removal of the clitoris or inner labia.  This type is extremely painful and distressing to the girl.  It damages the sexually sensitive skin and causes an on-going infection risks.  The closing over of the vagina and the urethra leaves women with a very small opening through which to pass urine and menstrual fluid.  Some women can take up to half an hour for a single urination due to the small opening.  The opening can be so small that it needs to be cut open to be able to have sexual intercourse.  Cutting is also needed to give birth and can cause major health complications that can result in maternal and infant mortalities.

The fourth type includes Different Practices of variable severity including pricking, piercing or incision of the clitoris and/or the labia.  This type also consists of stretching of the clitoris and/or the labia, cauterization of the clitoris and scraping or introduction of corrosive substances into the vagina.

Whether it is the Sunna type, the Clitoridectomy, the Infibulation or pricking, piercing or stretching, does it really matter what it is called?  Does referring to it as female genital cutting or female circumcision make it any less harmful to the little girls that endure the physical and psychological pain?  It is easy to be politically or socially correct by referring to the practice as something less alarming; however the purpose of the discussion is the goal to end the practice, and spare the lives of millions of little girls.  Let us not divert our attention from the atrocity of this practice to what it should be called.  Let us focus on how to end the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM); yes, female genital mutilation.

By Waris Dirie

This story first ran on the Desert Flower Blog two weeks ago.  The author, Waris Dirie, a survivor of FGM asked that the story be circulated. 

I am furious! Together with my Desert Flower Foundation, I demanded for years that parents from countries where FGM is practiced shouldn’t be allowed to take their little daughters to their home countries.

As soon as school holidays in Europe begin, plenty of mothers and grandmothers are traveling with their young daughters on airplanes to Addis Ababa, Nairobi, Djibouti, Istanbul and Abu Dhabi. I witnessed this myself several times in airports in Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, Paris, Zurich and Rome.

You never see a little boy traveling with them. How come? Wouldn’t the families in Africa like to see their grandsons? On the plane I always try to speak to these families directly in order to discuss the problem of FGM, to explain to them that FGM is prohibited and to make it clear that they are not allowed to hurt their daughters in this way. Usually, they don’t want to speak about it or they respond that FGM is their right and tradition.

Last Friday, for the first time, the British police seized passports of two girls who were believed to be taken overseas for FGM. The same day, Liberal Democrat at peer Baroness Tonge witnessed more than 50 little Somali girls who flew “on holiday” with their mothers or grandmothers on the plane from London to Addis Ababa. Baroness Tonge contacted immediately the Metropolitan Police. What is arguably the reason for this trip? The police at the British airports, who should control families traveling with her daughters to these countries, didn’t notice this group. Now, the families will be checked on their return to England according to the passenger lists.

Today, the US organization Equality Now has published a study saying that 507,000 girls are affected by FGM in the US. The British authorities believe alone in the UK 20,000-30,000 girls are threatened by FGM during summer holidays.

FGM isn’t still taken seriously enough. People practicing FGM are aware of that fact and will never stop performing this brutal crime without serious controls and bringing them to court!

 

 

 

We are only less than four months away from the second annual Walk to End FGM?  Yes, Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation has already begun the countdown by month to Saturday, October 31, 2015.  We are looking forward to an even greater turnout than we had in 2014!  You don’t want to miss out on the early bird registration of $25 so make sure you visit www.globalwomanpeacefoundation.org and register to Walk to End FGM.  You may start a team, join a team or make a donation if you are unable to join us.  We look forward to seeing you there!

This story was first published and released by the Guardian.  Bedfordshire police have secured the first ever UK’s female genital mutilation (FGM) protection order, which bans travel by people who are believed to be at risk of FGM.in the U.K.

As some schools broke up for the summer holidays on Friday, Bedfordshire police in the U.K. seized the passports of two young girls who it was thought could be taken to Africa to be genitally mutilated.  Police obtained the court order under a new power which came into force on this past Friday. Breaching it is a criminal offence.

DCI Nick Bellingham, from Bedfordshire police’s public protection unit, said: “This legislation is a really positive step forward in the fight against this horrific, cruel crime, and we’re pleased to have been able to enforce it today by issuing a protection order.

“With schools breaking up for the summer holidays today, we will continue to use this legislation where needed to prevent young girls who we believe may be at risk from being taken out of the country.

“This is child abuse, and we will do everything in our power to ensure that children are kept safe and that those responsible are caught,” said Bellingham.

FGM is a procedure that partially or completely removes the external female genital organs for non-medical reasons.

Bedfordshire police said it was estimated that more than 20,000 girls younger than 15 in the UK were at risk of FGM each year, but very few cases are reported.

Signs that FGM may have been inflicted on a child include a lengthy absence from school, health problems including bladder and menstrual trouble, complaints about pain between their legs, and behavioral changes, police said.

A child may also talk about being taken away for a special ceremony, or say that something has happened to them which they are not allowed to talk about.

Bellingham said: “A change in law isn’t in itself enough to end this barbaric practice. I’d urge anyone who suspects that a child is at risk of FGM to contact police immediately.”

The change in the law was announced October last year, amid the Guardian’s End FGM campaign.

Besides the protection orders, the Serious Crime Act 2015 allows judges to remand people in custody, order mandatory medical checks and instruct girls believed to be at risk of the practice to live at a particular address so that authorities can check whether they have been subjected to it. Victims are also given lifelong anonymity.

Speaking at the time, the justice minister Mike Penning said: “We are introducing an unprecedented package of measures to strengthen protection for victims, encourage them to report the crime to the police and get support.

“We also want to prosecute those who knowingly let this terrible abuse happen to children they are responsible for. We know that legislation alone cannot eradicate this unacceptable practice. But it is important that we change the law where necessary.”

Equalities and justice minister Caroline Dinenage said: “We have fast-tracked these protection orders to make sure women and girls facing the awful threat of FGM can be kept safe.

“I am pleased that authorities are acting so quickly to use the powers. These orders mean girls and the communities around them now know they will have somewhere to turn, that the law is on their side and help is out there.

“The government is committed to ending FGM. We will not stop until this horrific practice is stamped out.”

Separately, a Scotland Yard spokesman said that officers from the specialist crime and operations command were looking to reports that a large number of girls on a flight from Heathrow to Ethiopia on 11 July may have been at risk of FGM.

As some schools broke up for the summer holidays on Friday, Bedfordshire police seized the passports of two young girls who it was thought could be taken to Africa to be mutilated.

Police obtained the court order under a new power which came into force on Friday. Breaching it is a criminal offence.

DCI Nick Bellingham, from Bedfordshire police’s public protection unit, said: “This legislation is a really positive step forward in the fight against this horrific, cruel crime, and we’re pleased to have been able to enforce it today by issuing a protection order.

“With schools breaking up for the summer holidays today, we will continue to use this legislation where needed to prevent young girls who we believe may be at risk from being taken out of the country.

“This is child abuse, and we will do everything in our power to ensure that children are kept safe and that those responsible are caught,” said Bellingham.

FGM is a procedure that partially or completely removes the external female genital organs for non-medical reasons.

Bedfordshire police said it was estimated that more than 20,000 girls younger than 15 in the UK were at risk of FGM each year, but very few cases are reported.

Signs that FGM may have been inflicted on a child include a lengthy absence from school, health problems including bladder and menstrual trouble, complaints about pain between their legs, and behavioral changes, police said.

A child may also talk about being taken away for a special ceremony, or say that something has happened to them which they are not allowed to talk about.

Bellingham said: “A change in law isn’t in itself enough to end this barbaric practice. I’d urge anyone who suspects that a child is at risk of FGM to contact police immediately.”

The change in the law was announced October last year, amid the Guardian’s End FGM campaign.

Besides the protection orders, the Serious Crime Act 2015 allows judges to remand people in custody, order mandatory medical checks and instruct girls believed to be at risk of the practice to live at a particular address so that authorities can check whether they have been subjected to it. Victims are also given lifelong anonymity.

Speaking at the time, the justice minister Mike Penning said: “We are introducing an unprecedented package of measures to strengthen protection for victims, encourage them to report the crime to the police and get support.

“We also want to prosecute those who knowingly let this terrible abuse happen to children they are responsible for. We know that legislation alone cannot eradicate this unacceptable practice. But it is important that we change the law where necessary.”

Equalities and justice minister Caroline Dinenage said: “We have fast-tracked these protection orders to make sure women and girls facing the awful threat of FGM can be kept safe.

“I am pleased that authorities are acting so quickly to use the powers. These orders mean girls and the communities around them now know they will have somewhere to turn, that the law is on their side and help is out there.

“The government is committed to ending FGM. We will not stop until this horrific practice is stamped out.”

Separately, a Scotland Yard spokesman said that officers from the specialist crime and operations command were looking to reports that a large number of girls on a flight from Heathrow to Ethiopia on 11 July may have been at risk of FGM.

Do you believe that FGM is practiced in the U.S.?  What are your thoughts on how far we have come towards the goal of eradicating FGM in the world?

On Thursday, July 23, 2015, The African Immigrants & Senior Citizen Institute will collaborate with Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation in a teleconference discussion on the culture of silence in the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM).

The discussion is hosted by Ms. Beatrice Doris Dzameshie as part of her lecture series on empowering women.  Her guest panelists are Angela Peabody and Amie Jallah, President and Vice President of Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation respectively.

We invite you to join the 90-minute discussion during the Q&A by dialing in at (712) 775-7035, and when prompted, enter the conference access code, 237209#.  The discussion begins at 8:00pm Eastern Time and ends promptly at 9:30pm Eastern Time.

For more information on the teleconference, please contact the African Immigrants & Senior Citizen Institute at (301)875-3610 or send an email to aiscii.org@gmail.com. You are not required to register prior to the teleconference; you may dial in at 8:00pm and you will be entered into the conference.  We look forward to speaking with you on the call!

 

This story was first published by the Nursing Times in the U.K.  We run the stories from the U.K. to help educate the U.S. public on FGM, since the U.K. has made great strides toward ending the practice of FGM.  Clinicians must know the difference between recording and reporting female genital mutilation, according to new UK guidance on the issue.

The guidelines also state that pregnancy provides a major opportunity for health professionals to identify FGM and all hospitals should have a named midwife responsible for caring for women that have suffered the procedure.

They noted that the clinical management of women with FGM requires high quality care that is “accessible, sensitive and informed”.

“This guideline, drawing on the latest scientific evidence and expert opinion, provides further clarity on how healthcare professionals should manage FGM”

The guidance – titled Female Genital Mutilation and its Management – was published today by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and is an updated version of guidance from 2009.

It stated that pregnancy “presents a key opportunity” for healthcare professionals to identify women with FGM and, therefore, to provide information and advice, address healthcare needs and assess the risk to the unborn child or other female family members.

The guideline also provides evidence-based advice on the clinical care of women with FGM before, during and after pregnancy – including legal and regulatory responsibilities.

It said that clinicians must be aware of the short- and long-term complications of FGM, including scarring, urinary infections, menstrual difficulties, impaired sexual function, painful sexual intercourse, obstetric complications and psychological trauma.

In addition, the guidance emphasizes that all healthcare professionals must be aware of the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation Act 2005 in Scotland (see box below).

• FGM is illegal unless it is a surgical operation on a girl or woman which is necessary for her physical or mental health or for purposes connected with labor or childbirth
• It is illegal to arrange, or assist in arranging for a UK national or UK resident to be taken overseas for the purpose of FGM
• It is an offence to fail to protect a girl from risk of FGM, including those who have parental responsibility
• If FGM is confirmed in a girl less than 18 years of age, reporting to the police is mandatory

The guidance notes that the Department of Health has implemented the FGM Enhanced Dataset in England in order to ensure a consistent approach to data monitoring.

It requires all acute trusts, general practices and mental health trusts to record data about women with FGM on a monthly basis.

The guidance stated that healthcare professionals “must understand the difference” between recording FGM for the dataset and reporting FGM to the police or social services.

There should be a lead consultant or midwife responsible for the care of women with FGM in all hospitals, it also said.

Meanwhile, the guideline addresses treatment via de-infibulation and clitoral reconstruction.

Women who are likely to benefit from de-infibulation should be counseled and offered the procedure before pregnancy and ideally before first sexual intercourse, it said.

“Midwives have a pivotal role to play in identifying and supporting women who have undergone FGM”

Clitoral reconstruction should not be performed because current evidence suggests that there are associated complication rates without conclusive evidence of benefit, it added.

Dr. Manish Gupta, co-chair of the RCOG Guidelines Committee, said: “This guideline, drawing on the latest scientific evidence and expert opinion, provides further clarity on how healthcare professionals should manage FGM, as well as the organization of services for women with FGM.

“The guideline is intended for use alongside established training programs and we urge all healthcare professionals caring for women and girls to undertake Health Education England’s FGM e-learning program,” he said.

Dr. Gupta added: “Trusts have a responsibility to ensure that all women with FGM can access specialist FGM services, and that their staff has received appropriate training.”

The Royal College of Midwives welcomed the updated guidance and said it provided good information for health professionals working in maternity services.

Janet Fyle, the RCM’s professional policy advisor, said: “Midwives have a pivotal role to play in identifying and supporting women who have undergone FGM.

“Meeting a midwife is often the first time that many of these women will engage with health services,” she said. “Consequently we must ensure that midwives have the training, time and knowledge of the services needed to support women.”

“We’re here to support them with any of the complex questions or concerns they may have about FGM”

Kam Thandi called on trusts and other employers to ensure their staff had the appropriate training on FGM, with clear national guidelines and pathways in place, and mechanisms for monitoring effectiveness.

The initiative comprises a dedicated 24/7 team of advisors who have recently received additional training from FGM specialist midwives in order to provide an enhanced service for NHS staff.

Kam Thandi, head of the NSPCC FGM helpline, said: “We understand the pressure that health professionals face in extremely fast-paced and busy environments and we’re here to support them with any of the complex questions or concerns they may have about FGM.

“Our team of practitioners, trained by specialist FGM midwives, can help NHS staff assess the situation and discuss what to do next, including signposting to other services which may be able to help.”

Vanessa Lodge, NHS England’s director of nursing for North, Central and East London and chair of the national FGM steering group, said: “By calling the helpline, doctors and nurses can talk through their concerns, clarify risks and seek advice on taking appropriate action to protect the women and girls at risk.”

She described FGM as a “terrible scourge” and said the helpline was a “great step forward in protecting women at risk” from it.

If you are a survivor of FGM and need to talk with someone about your experience, or if you know a survivor, please contact the Global Woman Center to set up an appointment for consultation at 703.818.3787 or write to info@globalwomanpeacefoundation.org.   The services at the Global Woman Center are free of charge, and your information is kept confidential.

Please send inquiries and comments about these stories to

info@globalwomanpeacefoundation.org.

In June 2014, the United States Government discovered that American girls were being transported from the U.S. to their parents’ countries of origin for the purpose of undergoing female genital mutilation (FGM). These girls are American citizens and children of immigrant parents.  The girls are taken overseas under the pretense that they are going to visit their relatives.  They suffer the shock of their lives when they arrive and realize that the purpose of their visit is to undergo FGM.

We have heard some Americans remark, “Why should anyone here in the States care about FGM”.  Some feel that it is an “African Problem”; therefore Americans should not be concerned about the practice of FGM.  Well, it is indeed an American problem, just as much as it is an Asian, a Middle Eastern, and even a European problem.  The United Nations has made FGM its problem; therefore it is a problem of the world.  FGM is a human rights violation, child abuse, and a criminal act in the United States, so why should Americans not care about the practice of it?

Female genital mutilation is the partial or total removal of the female external genitalia for non-medical reasons.  External genitals include the clitoris, labia, pubis (the fatty tissue over the pubic bone), and the urethral and vaginal openings.  In some cases, the degree of cutting is so extensive, it often impairs the girl’s sexual and reproductive functions.  As adults, the girls encounter infant and maternal mortalities during childbirth; they experience genital pain during urination and menstruation.  Why then should anyone not care?

Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation is committed to the campaign of ending FGM.  Join the foundation and other like-minded organizations on October 31, 2015 and show that you do care by walking to help end FGM.  In 2014, more than 200 people showed that they care about FGM when they gathered near the Washington Monument to make their voices heard.  Everyone had such a great time last year, and the foundation won over more people to care about FGM, that they will have an encore this year to win over even more caring individuals.

 

The Global Woman Center will be opening its Northern Virginia location in August, in partnership with IEDA Relief in Arlington, Virginia.  If you reside in Northern Virginia and the Washington, D.C. location is not convenient to you, please call for an August appointment in Arlington.  Your appointment and information will be kept confidential.