How the pandemic has heightened FGM cases in Africa

FGM during the Covid-19 pandemic

Restrictions introduced as a result of Covid-19 have led to many African communities continuing to undergo FGM treatments despite the international pressure to stop, with cases actually rising in some areas.

Lockdowns and social distancing has forced school closures across Mali, for example, meaning many young girls are without proper education or social interaction. Kenya in particular has also seen a high rise in FGM practices as a direct result of similar closures.

According to the anti-FGM board of Kenya, the pandemic has meant that many girls are isolated from their support systems, as schools often provide safety nets for girls to report cases. With facilities being shut for 10 months or more in an effort to slow the spread of Covid-19, cases have steadily increased.

The number of girls returning to schools once they reopen has dropped dramatically in both areas too, meaning the risk of FGM is now permanently higher.

Mali’s government is currently being challenged by rights groups in court over failing to outlaw female genital mutilation. One such case was filed by the organisation Equality Now, who has been campaigning for anti-FGM laws for years without success.

A similar situation is unfolding in countries such as Liberia, Sierra Leone, and the Ivory Coast. Health care resources are more limited than usual in order to cope with the pandemic, leaving fewer spots available in protective institutions for victims of FGM. Authorities have raised concerns within these countries – but only limited action can be taken to curb the increase in FGM cases.

FGM leading to early marriages and exiting poverty

For many communities practicing FGM, it is seen as a means to be accepted for marriage.

Millions of girls are threatened by early marriages after going through FGM in Africa. Child marriage is a globally recognized violation of child rights and is prohibited by law.

Though FGM and child marriage have both existed for generations, they devalue girls and are extremely predatory. Both practices share certain characteristics with one another, often taking place in areas with low levels of education, rural residence, and within poorer households.

Families who marry off their children tend to be rewarded through heavy dowry, reducing overall levels of poverty for the parents and extended relatives.

Most ethnic communities practicing FGM view young girls as a way to acquire wealth, rather than as individuals that should be cared and offered a decent education.

Efforts made to curb the FGM situation

According to the UNFPA, most countries have passed laws against FGM.

In Africa, approximately 26 countries have laws prohibiting the practice, with some parts of West Africa finally beginning to show an interest in banning FGM as a result of prior epidemics.

During the Ebola outbreak, governments set up decentralized telephone hotlines for girls and women at risk. This helped to shut down many cases of FGM that would have gone unnoticed otherwise.

Additionally, various communities now educate children on the practice of FGM, detailing its side effects to the health and self-esteem of young women.

In Kenya, the government hopes to end FGM by 2022. This may seem unachievable now due to Covid-19 forcing a shift in priorities for officials, but northern Kenya has shown that change is still possible.

A number of girls have been rescued from the practice and are recovering in newly built, safe rescue centers, a sign that things are heading in the right direction.

The belief in FGM as a necessity remains in deeper rural regions still, however, often being performed in private or secretly. Various campaigns by human rights activists have educated locals in these places and some have shunned the practice as a direct result.

In Egypt, the government toughened the law banning FGM by imposing a jail term of up to 20 years as part of its efforts to stamp it out. Any doctors or medical staff involved in FGM can also be banned from their profession for a period of up to 5 years.

Though these kinds of measures have been put in place, eliminating FGM in Egypt is regarded as nearly impossible by many human rights organisations. This is because it remains a widely accepted practice across the country.

In Djibouti, the government has adopted, signed, and ratified several laws to eradicate FGM.

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and the Additional Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights on the Rights of Women (Maputo Protocol).

The main objective of this strategy was to promote the total abandonment of FGM by respecting physical integrity and promoting the health of women and girls. This has been backed by UNFPA who has supported Djibouti by establishing a mobile anti-FGM brigade.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic causing disruptions in prevention programs, U.N. health officials fear an additional 2 million cases of FGM will surface by 2030.

The pandemic has no doubt slowed progress, but work continues to try and diminish the impact and widespread adoption of FGM across Africa – regardless of the obstacles.