'Koromousso: Big Sister': Women overcome the trauma of female genital mutilation

"It was a way for me to kind of give hope to women living with FGM, to know that there's something you can do to change your life," Habibata Ouarme says


Elisabetta Bianchini
Thu, March 9, 2023 

African-Canadian women are breaking taboos around female sexuality in the documentary Koromousso: Big Sister (part of the Human Rights Watch Canada Film Festival), which follows three women who are overcoming the trauma of female genital mutilation (FGM).

"Genital mutilation and sexuality are still very taboo," Habibata Ouarme says in the film. "We need to draw attention to the issue specifically."

Ouarme leads us through the story on screen and behind-the-scenes as a co-director of the film as well, alongside Jim Donovan. Ouarme was subjected to FGM and in Koromousso: Big Sister, we see her supporting other women navigate the reconstructive surgery she went through, particularly a woman named Safieta Sawadogo.

“I wanted to do the surgery, but I couldn't find the surgery,” Ouarme told Yahoo Canada. “I had to go to San Francisco to do it.”

“So after that, I decided that I wanted to tell my story ... and also, it was a way for me to kind of give hope to women living with FGM, to know that there's something you can do to change your life. ... I want women to have the option to have the surgery, or not."

For Donovan, he said he didn't know anything about FGM until he meet Ouarme, and that's how he learned about it and ultimately decided it was something he wanted to explore in a film.

“It became clear that [Habibata] would need to be in the film and not just behind the camera because the idea of the film is she's the big sister to Safieta, who wants to change your life at age 42,” Donovan said.

“When the camera was not rolling, we'd be talking about, what do we need to do and how do we continue to tell the story."

KOROMOUSSO: Big Sister from filmmakers Habibata Ouarme and Jim Donovan
'This is one issue where progress needs to be made'

In Koromousso: Big Sister Sawadogo, under the guidance and support of Ouarme, goes through her journey of reconstructive surgery. It highlights the barriers to getting this surgery, including having to leave Canada, the cost, and the loss of paid working time for the surgery and recovery. Additionally, the film highlights the lack of resources there are in Canada when someone has gone through FGM, or has had reconstructive surgery.

As Ontario gynaecologist and obstetrician, Dr. Angela Deane, indicates in the documentary, there needs to be more expertise domestically on this reconstructive surgery. Canada lacks trained personnel and we don't have established funding to support wholistic care if someone identifies that they have been subjected to FGM.

“Canada presents itself as a sort of flag bearer in terms of liberal democracies and sort of beacons of hope for the world, in terms of social justice and all this,” Donovan said. “Well, this is one issue where progress needs to be made.”

“You allow people into your country as immigrants, you accept them into the family, therefore you have to start caring for them as completely as possible. … For the first three years that we were working on this film, it was impossible to find anybody in the health system that would have a straightforward answer in terms of how can we get help."

KOROMOUSSO: Big Sister from filmmakers Habibata Ouarme and Jim Donovan

'It's not just cultural. It's human. It's pain.'

Koromousso: Big Sister features women who are incredibly open and honest about the long lasting emotional effects of FGM, and how a reconstructive surgery can help to re-build their self-esteem and feel in control of their own bodies.

“I wanted to say how I felt when I had my surgery because for me it was like, … OK you took something for me,” Ouarme said. "At the end I know I needed to have my surgery to kind of have a complete experience."

"The other part was, ... I want women to have a safe space where they can talk about FGM. ... When you go to the hospital, the person you are seeing has to know what it is, at least. Often what I hear for women is that I went to see the gynaecologist and he said, ... 'I don't know what to do with it.' ... We need to change the way we talk about FGM when we have someone in front of us. It's not just cultural. It's human. It's pain."

Ultimately, Ouarme hopes that this movie gives hope to women who have these experiences, and she hopes this compels people to have more open conversations about sexuality.

“I think we want to open discussions about sexuality, about women’s bodies, women loving themselves, giving opportunity to women to have better access to healthcare," she said. "If you know somebody who is going through FGM, any kind of sexual issue, help them talk about it. The taboo is killing women.”

“I know in 2023 there's a lot out there that you can spend your time watching and it's a challenge for a film like this to be seen,” Donovan added. “If you see the film and you like it, please talk about it. Please spread it.”

“It's hard to find an audience and I honestly would love for this film to be seen as much as possible in the African diaspora because those women have tremendous power to affect change in the continent. So hopefully, it starts a discussion, and that's my hope for the film.”

KOROMOUSSO: Big Sister (Trailer 01m42s) from NFB/marketing on Vimeo.

The Human Rights Watch Canada Film Festival runs from March 8 to March 12 in-person at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, and March 13 to March 19 on Hot Docs digital platform. All screenings are free.

AND IN THE REST OF THE G20?

Almost 2,000 FGM cases identified in Germany last year — study

A rights group found evidence of 2,000 women, including some 200 minors, in Germany last year who underwent female genital mutilation in the past and were in need of treatment, calling that figure the tip of an iceberg.

A 2019 protest by the Terre des Femme NGO in Berlin. The main German-language banner reads: 'Protect girls!"

Almost 2,000 patients in Germany last year were diagnosed with genital mutilation in need of treatment, a women's rights group said on Friday, demonstrating a sharp increase in recent years.

The figure is up almost 40% compared with 2016, when around 1,300 diagnoses of people who had previously undergone female genital mutilation (FGM) and were in need of treatment were made, according to The TaskForce for effective prevention of FGM.

The TaskForce conducted a survey of German physicians associations and the results showed that roughly 200 of those diagnosed were minors — half of whom were younger than 12.

The research included females who received outpatient care by statutory health insurance providers. Cases discovered during inpatient stays in hospitals, or during private medical treatment, were not included.

Watch video 02:01 Kenya: Traditional beads and the fight against FGM

'Tip of the iceberg'

"What we see from these figures is only the tip of the iceberg and represents perhaps 2 to 5% of the actual mutilation victims who live in our country, because political leaders do not want complete data collection," TaskForce's founder, Ines Laufer, said of the current situation in Germany.

The rights group estimates more than 20,000 girls may have undergone FGM because they or their parents "come from countries with an FGM rate of over 75% such as Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, Mali and Somalia and others" the TaskForce website states.

The unusually large numbers of migrants allowed into Germany from the Middle East and Africa in 2015 and 2016 is thought to help explain the uptick in known FGM numbers in Germany in recent years.

"We call for the implementation of state protective measures, such as regular medical checks and the introduction of mandatory medical reports to the law enforcement authorities if genital mutilation is found in underage victims," Ines Laufer said.

FGM, also known as female genital cutting (FGC), is a practice that involves the partial or total removal of the female genital organs, such as the clitoris or labia, for non-medical reasons.

As well as severe bleeding, FGM can cause a variety of health issues, from infections and cysts to infertility and complications in childbirth. It can also result in an increased risk of newborn deaths, according to the World Health Organization.

VIDEO Former Miss Tanzania stands up to FGM

Women, girls and youth join hands to tackle FGM in Djibouti

BIOLOGICAL MISOGYNY; BODY MUTILATION

8 October 2023

The UNFPA-supported network reaches has reached more than 7,000 youth with engaging messaging on the risks and dangers of FGM. Photo © UNFPA Djibouti

Djibouti’s innovative Elle & Elles network brings eight youth associations together to break taboos, raise awareness of the risks young people face and support their rights and choices.

Through talks and door-to-door visits, members meet young people to discuss HIV/AIDS, drug addiction, contraception, gender-based violence and female genital mutilation (FGM).

More than seven-in-ten women and girls aged 15 to 49 have endured FGM in Djibouti. Yet government data shows that the harmful practice decreased by eight per cent between 2012 and 2019, and fell by much higher rates among children aged zero to 10 in the last 30 years.

The UNFPA-supported network reaches more than 1,100 people each month, and has reached more than 7,000 youth with engaging messaging on the risks and dangers of FGM through working with influencers, media personalities and partners.

Djibouti’s innovative Elle & Elles network brings eight youth associations together to break taboos, raise awareness of the risks young people face and support their rights and choices. Photo © UNFPA Djibouti

Men and boys have a crucial role to play in improving gender-equality and countering harmful practices, and the UNFPA-supported National Men and Boys Network empowers young male leaders to promote gender-equality through innovative tools and events.

Initiatives led by the Men and Boys Network include a concert for 800 university students,, a café debate series on how positive masculinity can help end FGM, and a national declaration to end all forms of gender-based violence that was forged at Djibouti’s National Conference on the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in 2019.

This year, the Men and Boys Network has already reached around 900 young people where they meet on the beach, and through ‘Mijlis’ men’s assemblies, where around 100 men meet to make declarations of their commitment to abandoning FGM and all violence against women and girls.

Both the Elle and Elles and Men and Boys Networks join a range of UNFPA-supported campaigns in Djibouti, with a shared determination to end FGM and boost gender-equality.

“With a young, vibrant and growing population, Djibouti is brimming with talent, drive and energy, and UNFPA is here to support women, girls and youth to bring their transformative ideas to life,” said Aicha Ibrahim, UNFPA Head of Office in Djibouti.

A time for excision: European women visiting 'home' countries face the nightmare of FGM

Issued on: 10/04/2020

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), every year 180,000 young European women run the risk of undergoing FGM during a stay in their country of origin. © FRANCE 24

By: Miyuki DROZ|Sophie GUIGNON

For families living in Europe and with origins in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, holidays are often synonymous with returning home. But these family reunions sometimes turn into a living nightmare for young girls. Each year, thousands of them suffer female genital mutilation (FGM), without their prior knowledge or consent, in their parents' country.

Our reporters Miyuki Droz Aramaki and Sophie Guignon met with young victims and followed doctors and activists who are working to change mindsets about FGM and treat these women.

Despite feeling deep pain and suffering family pressure, some young Europeans agreed to share their stories with us anonymously. We met a 25-year-old British woman of Somali origin. She can never forget her very first stay in Somaliland, a semi-autonomous region of Somalia, at the eastern end of the Horn of Africa. She was ten years old and suffered genital mutilation by surprise: "I saw a few women sitting inside. One grabbed me, started pulling on my clothes. There was a moment of complete helplessness when I felt a quick but sharp pain." In addition to the pain, she felt deprived of her private life and her humanity.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), every year 180,000 young European women run the risk of undergoing FGM during a stay in their country of origin.

To understand why the custom of genital mutilation persists, we went to Somaliland, where 97 percent of women undergo FGM. Female circumcision is supposed to preserve the honour and virginity of young women, by preventing them from enjoying any sexual pleasure. But it causes severe physical and psychological damage for the rest of their lives, as well as complications during childbirth. Some young women have died from loss of blood while undergoing FFM. In the poor neighbourhoods of the capital Hargeisa, we met a circumciser, a mother in her forties with a large family. For her, performing FGM on young girls, whether they’re locals or Europeans on holiday, represents a simple livelihood to feed her family and children.

Repairing mutilated women

But in Somaliland, activists are mobilising to fight against the practice which is based on false ancestral beliefs. Dr. Edna Adan is one of the pioneers of this battle. At 82, she continues to run the city’s main hospital, which she founded and where she trains doctors, nurses and midwives. These health professionals are trying to convince young mothers not to reproduce the violence that they themselves suffered. Adan believes that protecting young Europeans requires a change of mentality on the ground and legislation that punishes mutilations.

While filming our documentary, we also met doctors in France who treat young women who have been mutilated abroad. Many of these women try to meet the famous urological surgeon Pierre Foldès, who is based in the Paris suburb of Saint-Germain en-Laye. He is the first surgeon in the world to have developed a technique for reconstructing the clitoris, the female organ removed during FGM, and has fought for the surgery to be reimbursed by social security. His method enables traumatised women to be to "repaired", but also to recover sexual pleasure and the hope of giving birth safely. Their healing is both physical and psychological, so that they can finally enjoy the life they have chosen.

Female genital mutilation/cutting is decreasing but more needs to be done

Peer-Reviewed Publication

PLOS

 

IMAGE: RESEARCHERS ASSESS THE SCOPE OF GLOBAL FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION view more 

CREDIT: NADINE SHAABANA, UNSPLASH (CC0, HTTPS://CREATIVECOMMONS.ORG/PUBLICDOMAIN/ZERO/1.0/)

An estimated 100 million girls and women of reproductive age across 30 countries have experienced female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), according to a new meta-analysis publishing September 1st in the open access journal PLOS Medicine. The review reports that FGM/C seems to be decreasing in 26 countries for both women and girls, but much work needs to be done in others.

FGM/C is an extreme form of abuse and gender inequality that violates women’s and girls’ human rights. It has lifelong health and economic consequences for women and girls. Stephen J McCall of the American University of Beirut, Lebanon, and colleagues undertook this study to provide a baseline estimate of numbers of women affected and to understand where the data gaps are. The WHO Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 5.3 on gender equality refers to FGM/C as a harmful traditional practice and calls for ending it by 2030.

The researchers included 30 studies in their meta-analysis, of which 23 were from the African region, six from the Eastern Mediterranean, and one from South-East Asia. The studies included data from 406,068 women from 30 countries and 296,267 girls from 25 countries. They found that 36.9% of women aged 15-49 and 8.27% of girls aged 0-15 years had experienced FGM/C.

Though the practice is on the decline in most countries, and the SDG target seems attainable, there were several where the decrease was tiny or there was a slight increase. Countries including Egypt, Somalia, Sudan, Indonesia, Guinea, and Mali will not meet the target unless much more work is done to stop FGM/C.

The study accurately estimates the countries included but provides an underestimate of the global picture because of gaps in available published data. These gaps need to be resolved to understand the progress towards SDG 5.3.

McCall adds, “This study found that approximately 100 million women and girls have been subjected to female genital mutilation/cutting globally. However, the number of women and girls impacted is likely to be even higher as many countries do not report on this harmful practice.”

#####

In your coverage, please use this URL to provide access to the freely available paper in PLOS Medicine: http://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1004061

Citation: Farouki L, El-Dirani Z, Abdulrahim S, Akl C, Akik C, McCall SJ (2022) The global prevalence of female genital mutilation/cutting: A systematic review and meta-analysis of national, regional, facility, and school-based studies. PLoS Med 19(9): e1004061. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1004061

Author Countries: Lebanon

Funding: The authors received no specific funding for this work.

---

JOURNAL

PLoS Medicine

DOI

10.1371/journal.pmed.1004061 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Meta-analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

AFRIKAN FEMICIDE & TORTURE 

Gambia may allow female genital mutilation again, another sign of a global trend eroding women's rights

by Satang Nabaneh, The Conversation

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

The Gambia's ban on female genital mutilation (FGM) since 2015 is under threat. Proposed changes before parliament could permit medicalized female genital cutting and allow it for consenting adults.

This potential reversal has thrust the country into the global spotlight as the latest example of the backlash against gender equality.

The Gambia's criminalization of FGM was not the first in west Africa but it came as a surprise. The president at the time, Yahya Jammeh, declared the rampant cultural tradition a non-religious practice that caused harm. There was some dissent within the country but human rights groups welcomed the ban.

Jammeh, who was president from 1994 to 2016, also oversaw the passage of other progressive gender-related laws. The Domestic Violence Act 2013 provided a framework for combating domestic violence in all its forms (physical, sexual, emotional, economic) and protection in particular for women and children. The Sexual Offenses Act 2013 expanded the definition of rape, broadened the circumstances in which individuals could be charged, and reduced the burden of proof in prosecutions.

Jammeh also outlawed child marriages in 2016. This was significant in country where 1 in 5 young people aged 15–19 (19%) are married.

In one of the world's most aid-dependent countries, these reforms were all central to international donor interests. And they helped to improve the country's democratic reputation. But at the same time, they made it easy for the autocratic leader to get away with other excesses. He also mobilized religion to manipulate beliefs and sentiments, particularly affecting girls and women. For example, Jammeh mandated that female government workers wear veils or headscarves when he declared his Muslim majority country an Islamic state in 2016.

President Adama Barrow, Jammeh's successor, has emphasized religious tolerance and has refrained from employing religious symbolism. Unlike the state-sponsored homophobia under the Jammeh regime, Barrow has downplayed homosexuality as a "non-issue."

I am a legal scholar and human rights practitioner with published research on female genital mutilation, gender equality and women's rights and governance in The Gambia. It's my view that Jammeh's ostensible compliance with gender equality norms was selective and intended for the international gallery rather than a genuine commitment to women's rights and democracy.

His tactical stance highlighted a broader trend. Autocratic African leaders often accommodate global gender norms to maintain domestic power dynamics. The result, for example, is increased women's political participation through quotas along with a conservative approach to sexual and reproductive health and rights.

The Gambia experience also shows that western donors and multilateral institutions need to go beyond just pushing for reforms. Once they have got the reforms they advocated for, they should have a strategy for sustaining them. Forces that were opposed to the reform often regroup to campaign for its removal.

At its core, female genital mutilation constitutes a violation of the human rights of girls and women. These include the right to non-discrimination, to protection from physical and mental violence, and to health and life.

From a feminist perspective, the prevalence of FGM in numerous African nations revolves around upholding gender-specific norms and exerting control over women's sexuality.

Female genital mutilation in The Gambia

Female genital cutting is a deeply ingrained practice. It is driven by cultural beliefs and often performed by traditional healers. According to the most recent national survey, a large majority of Gambian women aged 15–49 years (73%) have undergone female genital cutting. More alarming is an 8% increase in the prevalence of FGM among girls under the age of 14—from 42.4% in 2010 to 50.6% in 2018.

Numerous health risks associated with all types of the practice have been documented by the World Health Organization and systematic reviews. These include severe pain, bleeding, infections and complications during childbirth and elevated rates of anxiety and other mental health disorders. This has led to calls for the practice to be banned in order to protect girls' health and well-being.

The Gambia's current struggle with the FGM ban reflects a complex interplay between cultural norms, religious beliefs, and the fight for gender equality. The potential repeal of the ban poses a threat to human rights of women and girls in The Gambia.

Reversal of hard-won gains

Though The Gambia is constitutionally secular, religion influences nearly every facet of society. Islamic fundamentalists in the country are known for attacks on religious minorities, including hate speech against the Ahmadiyya Muslim community and the Christian community.

The main fundamentalist religious actors draw inspiration from and still support the exiled former dictator Jammeh. They are at the forefront of the recent pushback against the anti-FGM law. They argue that the ban violates their religious and cultural freedoms as guaranteed in the 1997 constitution.

On 4 March 2024 a strong supporter of Jammeh proposed a private member's bill in the National Assembly that seeks to overturn the ban.

The push to reassert traditional gender roles isn't isolated to The Gambia. There is a global trend of rolling back progress on gender equality. This trend is characterized by attempts to limit women's bodily choices, an increase in violence against them, as well as attacks on LGBTQI+ communities. It reflects a broader political climate of backlash against women's rights and gender equality as a weapon in the reversal of democratic achievements.

Attempts have been seen to reverse legal protections against women and girls in Kenya. In Sudan, state-sanctioned violence and societal pressure is aimed at restricting women's public participation. Similarly, Tanzania previously enacted a policy barring teenage mothers from attending public schools, though this policy has been reversed.

This global context highlights how anti-rights movements, undemocratic norms and gendered politics are working together to erode women's rights and exacerbate inequalities.

Provided by The Conversation 

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

UNICEF: 230 million females are circumcised globally, 30 million more than in 2016

#FGM

Fighting female genital mutilation with a fairy tale

A mutilation every 11 seconds

Ntailan Lolkoki was subjected to the gruesome practice of female genital mutilation when she was a child. She is now fighting this deep-rooted tradition with the help of a story.


This girl, belonging to the Pokot tribe in Kenya, was also circumcised following tribal tradition

Ntailan Lolkoki and her sisters enjoyed an idyllic childhood in the north of her native Kenya. They herded goats, bathed in the river and returned home to their manyatta — the traditional dwelling — at nightfall. This carefree, beautiful life ended abruptly when Lolkoki turned 12. According to the tradition of her tribes — she is half Masai, half Samburu — she and her sisters were circumcised. It was a traumatic experience that mutilated not only her body, but also her soul.

A mutilation every 11 seconds

Like Lolkoki, many girls suffer this same fate every day. Female genital mutilation or cutting (or FGM/C) is practiced in a total of 28 countries in Africa, on the Arabian Peninsula and in parts of Asia. However, with migration, the number of women subjected to FGM/C is also increasing in Europe.

Worldwide, around 200 million women live with mutilated or circumcised genitals. In many cultures, circumcision symbolizes a girl's transition to womanhood. She is then "pure" and ready for marriage. But with increasingly stringent laws against the practice, there is a growing tendency to perform this ritual on infants, since a crying baby is less likely to raise suspicions than a child complaining of pain.

Circumcisions are often done without proper or sterilized equipment

In Lolkoki's home country of Kenya, FGM/C has been banned since 2011. But as in many other African countries, girls continue to be circumcised, especially in rural areas, and mostly without sterile tools — just knives, razor blades or shards — and without anesthesia. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 25% of girls die during circumcision or from its consequences. It's a tradition that causes trauma and lifelong physical and psychological suffering for survivors.
Fighting against deep-rooted tradition

Now a Berlin-based artist, Ntailan Lolkoki wants to save girls and women from this terrible fate. To this end, she has written an African fairy tale titled The Kingdom of Watetu and Songaland. It tells the story of two tribes who live in peace with each other until the princess of the Watetu rebels against the tradition of circumcision practiced by her tribe and escapes her own circumcision. She is helped by the prince of Songaland, who rejects this practice. This pits the tribes against each other.

Breaker of taboos: Ntailan Lolkoki speaks openly about her circumcision

"I chose to tell the story in this narrative form, because I wanted to preserve the African cultural setup," Lolkoki told DW in an interview, explaining that her book reflects the reality in Africa, where many tribes with differing traditions live together. "And as I was growing up as a child with the Samburu tribe, the Samburu hated the Turkana. Why? Because they [the Turkana] didn't mutilate [the girls]."

Lolkoki's story bears strong biographical overtones. Although, unlike her female protagonist she was unable to prevent her own circumcision, she too initially turned her back on her country and culture because of that traumatic experience. After meeting a British soldier in Nairobi and marrying him, she first moved to England and later to the German town of Dülmen in the 1980s.

It was an unhappy marriage. This was mainly because Lolkoki couldn't relate to her own body due to her circumcision. Having had her clitoris removed as a child, she was unable to experience sexual pleasure, and this physical numbness also affected her emotional balance.

Reconciling with one's own culture

The marriage ended in divorce and Lolkoki moved to the German capital. Having been discovered as a model in Dülmen, she entered the Berlin fashion industry with the help of industry contacts. But she remained unhappy.

"In my early 20s, I realized in 1989 that I had to return to Kenya in search of myself and the meaning of life," Lolkoki wrote in her autobiography and first book, Wings for the Butterfly. It would take years and several trips between her original home in Kenya and her adopted city of Berlin for Lolkoki to reconcile with her own culture.

"I believe that a human being is strong in their natural sense and when they are connected with their cultural roots," explained Lolkoki. She values many aspects about her culture: the dances, the community, the connection with nature. And what she can do to fight against the cruel part of her culture. Her goal is to have her second book, The Kingdom of Watetu and Songaland, included in the African school curriculum.

With the support of the Kenyan Embassy, she is currently planning a trip across the East African country to speak to schoolchildren about her book. She rejects the argument that talking alone will not reverse a centuries-old, deep-rooted tradition.

"But if we stopped talking about it, it would be a waste of the pain that I went through or that many other people go through. It's something that needs to be talked about over and over again," she said.

In her autobiography, she talks openly about how much she suffered from her own circumcision and its consequences. She describes, for instance, how she underwent reconstructive surgery on her clitoris at the Waldfriede Hospital in Berlin and was finally able to discover and enjoy her sexuality at the age of almost 50.

A happy end for all women?

But she still hasn't completely overcome her trauma, having been alienated from her own body and identity for far too long, and blanking out the memory of her circumcision. Writing was a healing process for her.

"It would take a miracle to bring about change," she writes in her African fairy tale.

And although her own story has a happy ending, much remains to be done for other circumcised women and those at risk of being circumcised given the tradition's deep-rooted nature.

"It's about meeting with people in the villages and having a conversation with them and reaching their hearts," said Lolkoki, adding that this is what will transform people. So far, she has been able to save her nieces from FGM/C. She still plans to save many more girls.

The Kingdom of Watetu and Songaland is currently available only in English. Wings for the Butterfly has been published by the German publisher Droemer Knaur.

This article has been translated from German

Women managers have improved Vatican more than men, pope says
By Philip Pullella - Yesterday 

Pope Francis visits Bahrain© Reuters/POOL

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (Reuters) -Pope Francis said on Sunday that women he has appointed in the Vatican have proved they can be better managers than men and that there was too much male chauvinism in the Roman Catholic Church and society at large.

The pope made his comments during an airborne news conference on the plane returning to Rome from his four-day trip to Bahrain.

"I have noticed that every time a woman is given a position (of responsibility) in the Vatican, things improve," he said.

Francis was asked about the women at the forefront of protests in Iran, but he did not answer the question, pivoting to the topic of the role of women in general.

Speaking of women he has appointed to managerial roles, he mentioned Sister Raffaella Petrini, the deputy governor of Vatican City, who is effectively the most powerful woman in the Vatican, in charge of some 2,000 employees.

"Things have changed for the better," he said, referring to the management skills of Petrini, who was appointed last year.

He also cited the impact of five women he appointed to a department that oversees Vatican finances.

"This is a revolution because women know how the find the right way to go forward," he said.

Francis condemned male chauvinism, acknowledging there was still too much of it around the world, including in his native Argentina.

"Women are a gift. God did not create man and then give him a puppy dog to play with. He created man and woman," he said. "A society that is not capable of (allowing women to have greater roles) does not move forward."

Francis has also appointed women as deputy foreign minister, director of the Vatican Museums, deputy head of the Vatican Press Office, as well as four women as councillors to the Synod of Bishops, which prepares major meetings.

(Reporting by Philip Pullella; editing by Barbara Lewis)

Pope says women's rights fight is 'continuous struggle', condemns mutilation


Pope Francis visits Bahrain
Sun, November 6, 2022 
By Philip Pullella

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (Reuters) -Pope Francis said on Sunday the fight for women's rights was a "continuous struggle", and condemned male chauvinism as deadly for humanity and female genital mutilation as a crime that must be stopped.

Speaking to reporters on the plane returning from a four-day trip to predominantly Muslim Bahrain, he also praised women he has appointed to managerial jobs in the Vatican, saying they had improved things there.

He made no mention of campaigns to let women move on beyond that and become clergy - the pope and his predecessors have said the question of women priests is closed.

Francis was responding to a question about women protesting in Iran but turned to the topic of women's rights in general.

"We have to tell the truth. The struggle for women's rights is a continuing struggle," he said, listing historic struggles such as the fight for the right to vote.

"We have to continue struggling for this because women are a gift. God did not create man and then give him a lapdog to play with. He created both equal, man and woman," he said.

"A society that is not capable of (allowing women to have greater roles) does not move forward," he added.

Francis denounced male chauvinism, acknowledging there was still too much of it around the world, including in his native Argentina. "This chauvinism kills humanity," he said.

He also condemned as a "criminal act" female genital mutilation (FGM), repeating a major call he made in February on the U.N. International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation.

According to the United Nations, FGM is concentrated in about 30 countries in Africa and the Middle East but is also practiced by immigrant populations elsewhere. More than four million girls are at risk of undergoing FGM this year, the U.N. says.

He spoke of women he has appointed to managerial roles in the Vatican, mentioning by name Sister Raffaella Petrini, a nun who as the deputy governor of Vatican City is effectively the most powerful woman there.

"I have noticed that every time a woman is given a position (of responsibility) in the Vatican, things improve," he said.

He also cited the impact of five women he appointed to a department that oversees Vatican finances.

"This is a revolution (in the Vatican) because women know how the find the right way to go forward," he said.

Francis also has appointed women as deputy foreign minister, director of the Vatican Museums, deputy head of the Vatican Press Office, as well as four women as councillors to the Synod of Bishops, which prepares major meetings.

The Church teaches that only men can become priests because Jesus chose men as his apostles.

(Reporting by Philip Pullella; editing by Barbara Lewis and Andrew Heavens)

Pope calls female genital mutilation a crime that must stop


Bahrain PopePope Francis attends a prayer meeting and Angelus with bishops, priests, consecrated people, seminarians and pastoral workers, at the Sacred Heart Church in Manama, Bahrain, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2022. Pope Francis is making the November 3-6 visit to participate in a government-sponsored conference on East-West dialogue and to minister to Bahrain's tiny Catholic community, part of his effort to pursue dialogue with the Muslim world. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)More

NICOLE WINFIELD
Sun, November 6, 2022


ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) — Pope Francis called female genital mutilation a “crime” on Sunday and said the fight for women’s rights, equality and opportunity must continue for the good of society.

“How is it that today in the world we cannot stop the tragedy of infibulation of young girls?” he asked, referring to the ritual cutting of a girls' external genitalia. “This is terrible that today there is a practice that humanity isn’t able to stop. It’s a crime. It’s a criminal act!”

Francis was responding to a question about women’s right en route home from Bahrain. He was asked whether he supported the protests in Iran sparked by the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was detained by morality police after allegedly violating the country’s strict dress code for women.

Francis didn’t directly respond, but gave a lengthy denunciation of how women in many cultures around the world are treated as second-class citizens or worse and said: “We have to continue to fight this because women are a gift.”

“God ... created two equals: man and woman,” the pope said.

Francis has done more than any pope to give more decision-making roles to women in the church. He has appointed several women to key governing positions, including the No. 2 in the Vatican City State administration as well as several other high-ranking management roles. He has also named women — laywomen and religious sisters — as consultors to Vatican offices dominated by male clergy, including the one that chooses bishops.

“I have seen in the Vatican, that whenever a woman enters to work, things improve,” he said.

He said society would do well to follow suit, noting that his native Argentina remains a “macho” culture, but that such attitudes “kill” humanity.

“A society that cancels women from public life is a society that grows poor,” he said.

Francis was also asked about new cases of clergy sex abuse and cover-up that have emerged in the French church, with evidence that a bishop was allowed to quietly retire in 2021 despite having been found guilty by a church investigation of having spiritually abused two young men by making them strip during confession. More victims have reportedly come forward since the scandal was first reported.

Francis didn’t reply when asked if such church sanctions should be made public going forward. But he insisted that the church was on the right path, even reviewing bad past canonical investigations and redoing them. He said the church was committed to not hiding abuse even if there are still some in the church “who still don’t see clearly, who don’t share” the need for justice.

“It’s a process we’re doing with courage, and not all of us have courage,” he said. “Sometimes there’s the temptation of making compromises -- we are enslaved by our sins.”

But he said the goal was toward further clarity, noting that he had recently received two reports from victims lamenting their abuse and how their cases had been “covered up and then not adjudicated well by the church,”

“I immediately said ‘Study this again, do a new judgment.’ So we’re now revising old judgments that weren’t well done,” he said. “We do what we can. We’re all sinners.”

___

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Sudan allows non-Muslims to drink alcohol and bans female genital mutilation

Issued on: 12/07/2020 -

Civilians walk past graffiti reading in Arabic "Freedom, Peace, Justice and Civilian" in the Burri district of Khartoum, Sudan, July 10, 2019. 

REUTERS - Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah

Text by:NEWS WIRES


Sudan will permit non-Muslims to consume alcohol and the country will strengthen women's rights, including banning female genital mutilation (FGM), its justice minister said late on Saturday. This marks a reversal of almost four decades of hardline Islamist policies.

About 3% of Sudan's population is non-Muslim, according to the United Nations.

Alcoholic drinks have been banned since former President Jaafar Nimeiri introduced Islamic law in 1983, throwing bottles of whisky into the Nile in the capital Khartoum.

The transition government which took over after autocrat Omar al-Bashir was toppled last year has vowed to lead Sudan to democracy, end discrimination and make peace with rebels.

Non-Muslims will no longer be criminalised for drinking alcohol in private, Justice Minister Nasredeen Abdulbari told state television. For Muslims, the ban will remain. Offenders are typically flogged under Islamic law.


Sudan will also decriminalise apostasy and ban FGM, a practice which typically involves the partial or total removal of the external genitalia of girls and women, he said.

Women do not need permit to travel

Women will also no longer need a permit from male members of their families to travel with their children.

Nimeiri's introduction of Islamic law was major catalyst for a 22-year-long war between Sudan's Muslim north and the mainly Christian south that led in 2011 to South Sudan's secession.

Bashir extended Islamic law after he took power in 1989.

Sudanese Christians live mainly in Khartoum and in the Nuba mountains near the South Sudan border. Some Sudanese also follow traditional African beliefs.

The transition government led by Abdalla Hamdok runs the country in an uneasy coalition with the military which helped remove Bashir after months of mass protests.

(REUTERS)

PATRIRCHY IS FEMICIDE

Africa: Female Genital Mutilation Is On the Rise in Africa - Disturbing New Trends Are Driving Up the NumbersShare

ANALYSISBy Tamsin BradleyTHE CONVERSATION AFRICA (JOHANNESBURG)MAY 12, 2024

Thirteen-year-old Salamatu Jalloh had her whole future to look forward to. But in January 2023, her lifeless body was found wrapped in a pink and blue shroud on an earthen floor in a village in north-west Sierra Leone.

Salamatu and two other girls bled to death after participating in a secret Bondo society initiation into womanhood. The ceremony, which lasts for several weeks, began with a sense of excitement and anticipation - a rare occasion in this rural community to celebrate girls. But at its core was a violent act: the cutting and removal of the girls' external genitalia.

Their tragic deaths were highlighted in the latest Unicef report on female genital mutilation. According to the UN agency 230 million girls and women alive today have survived female genital mutilation, but live with the devastating consequences.

Most procedures happen in African countries, accounting for 144 million cases.

Despite campaigns to end this practice there are 30 million more women and girls globally who have undergone this form of torture than eight years ago.

As an applied social anthropologist who has researched women and violence for many years I've been studying this form of abuse, and the reasons it persists, for over two decades. Some countries are making strides in reducing the practice. In others, advancements have stalled or even been reversed due to changing ideologies as well as the fallout from instability and conflict.

Unicef calculates the rate of decline would need to be 27 times faster to eliminate this abuse by 2030.

Understanding the trends is the starting point for ending female genital mutilation. Some of the new trends are alarming. They include a backlash by conservatives against efforts to stop female genital mutilation; increasing numbers of "secret procedures" which are difficult to keep track of; and shifts towards what are termed "less severe" forms. Increased "medicalisation" of the procedure by health care professionals is another disturbing trend.

Reasons given for FGM

The types of cutting vary. In its most severe form, infibulation, the cut edges of the labia are sewn together to achieve a smoothness considered to be beautiful. The vagina must be reopened for sexual intercourse or childbirth.

Every year, over half a million girls globally undergo this extreme form of vaginal mutilation.

Most of those who support female genital mutilation believe it maintains cleanliness, increases a girl's chances of marriage, protects her virginity and discourages "female promiscuity", thus preserving the family honour. They also believe it improves fertility and prevents stillbirths.Most supporters of the practice do so for religious or cultural reasons.

In fact female genital mutilation has no health benefits, and it harms girls and women in many ways. It carries the risk of immediate complications like shock, haemorrhage, tetanus, sepsis, urine retention, ulceration of the genital region and injury to adjacent genital tissue. Long-term consequences include increased risk of maternal morbidity, recurrent bladder and urinary tract infection, cysts, infertility and adverse psychological and sexual consequences.

FGM in African countries

Countries with the highest levels of female genital mutilation are Somalia (99%), Guinea (95%) and Djibouti (90%).

In Kenya, over the last half century a remarkable transformation has occurred. Female genital mutilation was once widespread, but most of the country has now abandoned the practice.

Yet among the Somali community, concentrated in the north-eastern province of Kenya, there has been little change, and the practice remains nearly universal.

Somalia and Sudan face the challenge of addressing widespread female genital mutilation amid conflict and population growth.

Ethiopia has consistently made progress, but climate shocks, disease and food insecurity make it harder to maintain these successes.

The fragility of progress cannot be overstated.

Conservative backlashes and compliant doctors

There are some alarming trends that make eliminating this practice even more difficult.

• Backlash by conservatives: In The Gambia religious leaders have demanded that legislators revoke a 2015 law banning female genital mutilation. They reacted after three women in the northern village of Bakadagi were found guilty of mutilating eight infant girls in 2023, the first major conviction under the law. The World Health Organization has warned that a repeal in The Gambia could encourage other countries to disregard their duty to protect these rights.
• Secret procedures: In countries where the practice is banned it has often gone underground. Girls are also being cut at a younger age to avoid detection. This makes accurate rates of female genital mutilation harder to capture.
• Shifts towards "less severe" forms: One of these is sunnah, the removal of the clitoris. In countries such as Sudan and Somalia this is considered by many to be unharmful as the vagina is not sewn up. Proponents argue that this does not count as female genital mutilation.
• "Medicalised" procedures, performed by trained people like doctors, nurses and midwives: Some people consider these legitimate as they are thought to be safer. More of these are being performed in public or private clinics, chemists, homes, or elsewhere.
• Destabilisation and eroded rights: Around 4 in 10 girls and women who have undergone female genital mutilation live in countries affected by conflict or fragility. Ethiopia, Nigeria and Sudan account for the largest numbers of girls and women who have undergone female genital mutilation in conflict-affected countries.

Armed conflict and the devastating impact of climate change have led to a sudden deepening of poverty and mass displacement, driving people from their land and livelihoods. Families are plunged into deep poverty and studies have shown that the rights of girls slip away when families are faced with stark choices.

The commodification of girls through marriage practices such as bride price means that when families are stripped of all other resources daughters become an object to be sold. Female genital mutilation, as a marker of a girl's purity, becomes essential.

Progress to eliminate this horrific form of abuse needs to be a lot faster. Understanding the shifting trends is a start.

Tamsin Bradley, Professor of International Development Studies, University of Portsmouth

This article is republished from The Conversation Africa under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.