Zero tolerance for clitoridectomy
A few days ago, a group of 5 volunteer filmmakers returned to Greece after travelling to Tangulbei, Kenya to create “Excision”, a documentary on clitoridectomy that will be screened for the first time in Greece in early March, before embarking on its global journey. For the filming we travelled to the remote areas of the Pokot tribe and lived with them for 2 weeks.
The Pokot are pastoral nomads, living in the savannah of the Rift Valley and have a very old and rich tradition. Cows are their most valuable commodity, by which their wealth is measured and their social status defined. Like most of us, the Pokot love their culture, it is the mainstay of their harsh society. One of their most important customs is genital mutilation. For men, it is a relatively simple affair, offering several benefits except for the sharp pain of the procedure. For women, however, it’s a completely different story.
Female genital mutilation the way it is usually done, in addition to the pain, can lead to severe bleeding, infections, sepsis, urinary tract problems such as incontinence, infertility, and complications during childbirth that increase the death rate in newborns and mothers.
There are 4 types: from removal of the clitoris to total removal of the inner and outer lips and suturing of the remaining area. According to figures, 100-140 million women worldwide have undergone genital mutilation for non-medical reasons. 92 million live in Africa. Every day 6,000 girls fall victim to the practice.
In Kenya it was recently banned, but 15 million girls and women have undergone amputation. It almost always happens to girls aged 12-16, when the girl is considered ready for marriage. It is mostly performed by midwives – clitoridectomists in the girls’ huts or in traditional ceremonies without the use of anaesthetics or antiseptics. 18% is performed by medical personnel.
The procedure is so painful that some girls lose their lives from the shock, bleeding and infections that follow. The problems faced by victims do not stop with the healing of the first wound. The girls suffer terrible and constant pain. They hurt during the amputation procedure, during healing (where corrective incisions are often made), during sexual intercourse, at birth. They also suffer from the social stigma of denying the practice. If you refuse, it means you are “dirty” and more importantly “incapable” of moving on to adulthood.
One wonders, Why so much pain? In Pokot society, it is important to be able to endure pain bravely. It is a sign that you are capable of coping with the harshness of adult life. If you show fear or weakness, your family is disgraced and asked to pay a toll on the community. Immediately after the amputation ceremony, the girls are married. Their parents receive a dowry of many cows. Early marriage is the main reason for the girls to drop out of school. Illiteracy in the Pokot exceeds 65%.
Here, the woman is a tool. She has no right to define her life, no say in family decisions even when she becomes a wife and mother. Her place is to raise children, take care of animals and be loyal to her husband. Girls are valued because they can bear a good dowry, which is determined by their beauty, how many girls the family has, whether they are considered a “good girl” and how courageous they are during the mutilation. The dowry starts at 5 cows and goes up to 50. A cow costs 20,000 Kenyan shillings (200-250 euros) when the monthly income of local residents averages 45 euros.
As Anne, a teacher at the local school, told us very characteristically: “If a man walks past a hut and sees the woman with the children in the yard, he will ask if anyone is home. He means the man. The woman is not considered a person.”
Anne works at the primary school in Churo. As well as a primary school with more than 700 pupils, it also runs ActionAid’s new shelter for girls who have survived clitoridectomy and have fled here trying to avoid early marriage and continue their education. The hostel provides shelter, clothing and adequate food for more than 60 girls, with more arriving every day. ActionAid, thanks to contributions from Children’s Refugees, provides equipment and two meals a day to all students at the school. The meals are an incentive for parents to send their children to school in an area where absolute poverty reaches 65% of the population.
Clitoridectomy doesn’t just affect some unfortunate women in Africa. The United Nations has just established February 6 as the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Clitoridectomy. It’s an issue of international importance and there is no better time to do something about it.
The documentary “Excision” is already in the works and aims to amplify the voices of women and girls who have been victims of clitoridectomy and who are unable to speak openly about their pain. On the occasion of Women’s Day on March 8, “Excision” begins its journey from Greece. Learn the girls’ stories, share them with your friends, help us complete the documentary so that it can travel the world carrying the silent struggle of millions of girls against this unjust practice.
PREAD 13/3, 20.00 ODEON OPEA, 75 Acadimias Street. Learn more here
Thank you very much to our volunteers Dimitris Xenakis, Vicky Vellopoulou, Archontissa Kokotsaki and Kostis Nikolopoulos, as well as the production company Indigoview.
Photos by Vicky Markolefa/ActionAid