The myths about Female Genital Mutilation – Part I

Today, more than 30 years of widely unsuccessful efforts for an end Female Genital Mutilation, the time is overdue to identify, name and overcome all the fatal myths, lies and fundamental errors which continue to be spread even by so-called scientists and even most „activists“.

To reveal all those myths is about much more than being right or wrong; it’s about explaining WHY most strategies in the fight to end FGM until now are predestined to fail – and to be not much more than a waste of money, time, energy and resources – while millions of little girls continue to be tortured every year.

It’s about going to the roots and finding out the shameful mechanisms that lead to the continuation of this violent practice.

Finally, it’s about reforming the approaches and strategies, it’s about effective investment of resources and it’s about measurable results.

It’s about leaving worn-out paths which do only lead into a dead-end-street:

Myth Nr. 1: The parents who let their children mutilate only want the best for the girls

Repeated like a mantra for decades, this myth excuses and trivializes offender’s intention who badly maltreat their children through FGM.

This lie lulls the masses and hinders the indispensable deep understanding of the nature, intention and systematic of female genital mutilations.

It reflects the Western illusion – or devotional wish – that parents always intend to do the best for their children. If one looks at what is really going on in the world, one has to recognize that the familial relationship quite often is a source of grave violence, maltreatment, neglect etc.

The basic reason of this behaviour is disrespect, the psychologist and Children’s Rights-activist Monika Gerstendörfer gets to the point: Disrespect towards children within a disrespectful environment.

FGM needs to be seen as symptom of a social environment dominated by control, oppression and legitimised violence.

Therefore, it is not a secret nor a surprise that in all FGM-practising countries/groups, a very high level of general violence against children is very common, that consists of physical and psychological abuse, beating and severe punishment.

Nevertheless, the dimension of this regular violence is still surrounded by a big taboo and again there are the Western „scientists“ who do their best to keep the silence alive.

There is not a single FGM-practising society where FGM is not directly linked to so-called „forced/arranged marriages“. The verbal association of this act to „marriage and wedding“ obscures its true nature that simply is slavery: If any male human-being would be offered to a future owner for money, gold or material stuff, to be raped and always be in his attendance, it would be clear and apparent that we would have to talk about slave-trading.
But as soon as the victims are female children or female adolescents who are sold by their fathers for money, gold, camels or goats to other men, this obvious slave-trade is being named „marriage“. What a cynicism!

And because the future owners of the girls refuse to „buy used good“, they insist on virginity and genital mutilation, what they see as effective measure to preserve it.

As girls and women in this context are seen, treated and traded like any good, it is of course marginal if they suffer pain and/or trauma, if they are deprived of sexual fulfilment and personal development.

So, by letting the own daughters mutilate, especially the male of the families act with regard to their own interests and highest profit they could achieve by selling the girls later. The health, welfare, wishes and sexuality of the girls are simply subordinated to these interests…And the subordination of most fundamental rights of the girls under male interests is in fact never inspired by love:

FGM is not an act of love but an act of disrespect, disdain, violence and personal material interests of others than the victims..