By Momodou Jarju
Non-profit organisation Think Young Women (TYW) Wednesday shared six socio-economic implications of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) to the members of the National Assembly Joint Committee on Health and Gender as part of the committee’s consultative meetings with stakeholders of the Women’s (Amendment) Bill 2024.
Ndey Njoneh Jeng, a legal practitioner representing TYW at the meeting, said the first aspect of the socio-economic implications of FGM/C is discrimination and social marginalisation.
She said anecdotal evidence in The Gambia shows that uncut women face discrimination when they live in practising communities or when they are married into practising communities. Jeng said they are ostracised from social gatherings and subjected to derogatory names such as “solima” and marginalisation extends to exclusion from important events but also opposing of marriages that involve a woman who is uncut into a family that practises FGM.
“Mothers who have not undergone female circumcision often see their children devalued within society, but also mothers who have undergone FGM but have an opposing stance now, that is they no longer wish to engage in the practice, also face discrimination within their communities and the lives of their children are threatened because there’s always a threat that they will be subjected to FGM because it is a cultural practice,” she said.
Jeng informed the lawmakers that low socio-economic development indicators is another implication, saying 20 out of the 30 countries where female circumcision is practised including The Gambia are considered least developed. This signals a possible link between socio-economic development indicators for individuals, families and the country and the prevalence of the practice, she added.
The third implication of FGM is child valuation and marriageability status. Jeng said one of the reasons why FGM is practised is to ensure that when girls get married they are virgins. This, she said, leads to Type 3 FGM where the girl child is infibulated to prevent them from engaging in any sexual act before their marriage.
“Due to the light in which circumcised girls are viewed in practising communities, female circumcision is seen as an investment by parents to prepare their girls for the marriage market, because we observe or we know that in our communities when a girl is married and she is found to be a virgin, they are given some form of reward. We see they’re given gold chains, they’re given money, it basically increases your marriage value,” she said.
Ms. Jeng said this is a method perceived to help preserve the virginity of girls which earn them honour and pride once married, plus they also perceive that it prevents teenage pregnancy.
“If we’re honest to ourselves we realise that whether a girl has undergone FGM or not, it doesn’t prevent them from being pregnant, because the two are not the same. So this marriageability factor continues to propel the objectification of girls and women as commodities and not complete human beings with rights, needs, aspirations and a desire to contribute to the growth and advancement of their families, communities and countries,” Jeng said.
Financial burden on families and communities is another implication. Ms. Jeng said while the act of cutting itself may not involve a lot of cost, the ceremony after the cutting and initiation can be expensive, especially for low income families that engage in this practice.
“These expenses would cover the cost of gifts for the girl, and in some instances the girl’s mother, the guests that attend the ceremony, these expenses could be directed towards essential costs such as education, healthcare or other needs of the family,” she said.
Increased Burden on the Health System
Legal practitioner Jeng said one of the most important implications is cost consequence of FGM on the country’s economy. She said according to the WHO’s Cost Calculator (online tool that visualises current health care related costs of FGM) if the practice continues in The Gambia from now until 2047, 1.3 million girls will be subject to FGM.
“This would cost The Gambia $8.4 million per year to take care of. We know this is the case because most families in this country have low income. So when you suffer certain health complications,” she said.
But if the practice is completely eradicated, she said it is estimated that 870,000 children will be saved from FGM, which would reduce the cost by $5.7 million US dollars per year.
“So if the current trend persists, the number of girls and women subjected to female circumcision will significantly rise in the next 15 years, thus resulting in a rise in the national cost for health care provision to them,” she said.
Diminished quality of life and limited performance in the labour market is the final complication, adding that there’s ample proof that FGM causes lifelong health complications that can affect woman’s ability to engage or to be involved in the labour force.
“Affectedwomen who join the labour force are at risk of below-standard performance due to potential long-term health implications of the practice as opposed to women not subjected to the practice. A study in Gambia found that due to FGM, one out of every three circumcised women requires a medical gynecological examination,” she explained..
TYW Recommendations
TYW has also made recommendations to the parliament for consideration. One is to maintain and strengthen the current legal prohibitions of female circumcision and promote the enforcement of punitive measures against perpetrators. She added that legal provisions should prioritise protecting the rights of women and girls who refuse to undergo the practice.
Two is to implement comprehensive advocacy programs, including focus group discussions, peer teaching and mentorship initiatives, which are essential in enhancing public awareness and inspiring voluntary abandonment of harmful norms and practices.
“We appeal that the National Assembly through its members in various constituencies support efforts at grassroots level to engage with the public to dispel myths and raise awareness about the harms of female circumcision,” Jeng said.
Investing in accessible and culturally sensitive healthcare services for survivors of female circumcision is imperative, is their third recommendation.
“We appeal that the National Assembly allocates resources to provide comprehensive reproductive health services, psychosocial support and implement programmes to address health complications resulting from the practice,” she said.
Their final recommendation is to support research and evidence generation.
“We need data in this country. A lot of issues that we deal with, especially as gender based violence advocates; you need data to support your assertions. We have anecdotal evidence, but getting scientific data…is very important. So we are pleading with the National Assembly to task and allocate resources to the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Welfare in collaboration with the Gambia Bureau of Statistics to study these socioeconomic implications and identify linkages between the harmful practice and the country’s development trajectory,” she said.
