Declarations such as the one in Kouthiaba are becoming more prevalent throughout Senegal and other parts of Africa as awareness about human rights and development spreads. During a year studying abroad, I was able to not only witness the declaration in Kouthiaba, but to actively participate as an intern with Tostan, an non-governmental organization (NGO) working effectively for this positive change. Through my internship, I learned a lot about development, human rights, and especially FGC. Tostan focuses on non-formal education in Africa while taking a holistic approach to community development, literacy, management skills, and micro-credit. Always taught in the local language, lessons are culturally sensitive and facilitators build a strong trust with community members before approaching controversial subjects. Tostan never tells people that they should abandon traditions, but bases its programs on the idea that people will bring about change themselves once they understand the consequences.

Tostan focuses on non-confrontational methods of change and community-led development that continues long after the program has officially left the community. In 1999, the government of Senegal passed a law making FGC illegal and Tostan protested it. I was surprised when I learned this, but some of my Senegalese friends explained that people who face new ideas initiated from outside their culture often view such change as an imposition of Western values on their communities. Despite lawmakers’ good intentions, people may feel defensive and adhere more strongly to their traditions, thus ignoring new laws. Female Genital Cutting is being introduced in parts of Africa as a ‘return to traditional African values.’ In order for change to be sustainable, it has to come from the people who are changing their way of life and everyone must thoroughly understand the reasons behind the change.

In the United States, we generally rely on the government to maintain order, but governments in developing countries are often not as powerful. New laws can be difficult to enforce in a country like Senegal where power is decentralized. Like many developing countries, Senegal is divided by borders arbitrarily drawn by colonial powers that ignored religious, ethnic, and cultural lines. As a result, many people feel a stronger connection to their own village, religious leaders, and community than to the national government. Communication in Senegal is limited; roads to the interior are poor and many villages do not have access to printed news or other forms of mass media. Many people do not even know about the law against FGC, and many that do, ignore it. There are not enough law enforcement officers to monitor every village, and even if they could be present, it would be impossible to determine who to hold accountable: the cutters themselves, who are fulfilling a role and could be replaced; the mothers who request the procedure for their daughters; the fathers with authority over the family; the potential husbands who refuse to marry a girl who isn’t cut; the community members that may refuse to eat the food prepared by a girl who is uncut; or the religious leaders who claim that God cannot hear a girl’s prayers unless she is cut. When a community practices FGC, it is the entire population that practices.

Reasons for cutting are numerous and, contrary to popular belief, are not always about controlling a woman’s sexuality. Many people believe that the tradition is: a religious requirement, passed down from and honoring ancestors; a coming of age, to prepare for marriage; to ensure virginity until marriage; to safeguard against unwanted pregnancy; to ensure faithfulness to a husband; to increase a man’s sexual pleasure; to protect against rape; to produce medical benefits; or to ease childbirth and menstruation. Overall the tradition is generally thought to be in the best interest of girls. Cutting is often attributed to Islam, though the Koran never mentions it. Throughout the world the tradition is practiced by Christians, Jews, and animists as well, most of whom live in or come from Africa. Abandonment is complicated and even when people do understand the negative consequences, FGC is generally an issue of social acceptance, without which a girl may never marry, have children, or even prepare food for others. All things considered, it may appear to be the lesser of two evils.

The type and severity of FGC varies by region and group. Consequences of the practice have many variables, but one of the most common objections to any kind of FGC is that it violates the human right to bodily integrity. Among the negative physical consequences are pain, hemorrhaging, infection, the transmission of HIV and other diseases, difficulty with menstruation and control of bowels, infertility, complications with birthing, brain damage to infants, stillbirth, shock, excessive pain during sex, or even death. Since all women in a practicing community are cut, there is no comparison and people often do not draw connections between these problems and the practice.

Tostan teaches people about the negative consequences of FGC and tries to create a safe environment where people can talk openly about their experiences. Because it is a social issue,Tostan emphasizes community ties to spread its message. Through a system of organized diffusion, each participant in the Tostan program adopts a friend or family member to teach the day’s lessons and each participating community adopts at least one other. Though not directly facilitated by the NGO, Tostan works together with UNICEF to support public declarations such as the one held in Kouthiaba. Once a critical mass of an intramarrying population declares its abandonment of FGC, the social norm changes and it becomes a matter of honor to abide by the public promise. This makes it possible for an entire population to abandon the practice, confident that the abandonment is now what is in the best interest of girls.

Female Genital Cutting and other human rights concepts have many facets and change can be difficult to bring about. My experience working with Tostan exposed me to many aspects of development and many ways to ensure that it is in the best interest of the populations involved. Good intentions do not always create positive outcomes, but getting involved and understanding the communities helps.

For more information:
Tostan: www.tostan.org

2007 Hilton Humanitarian Award Page: http://www.hiltonfoundation.org/press_release_details.asp?id=59%2