A report conducted shows that female genital mutilation in Germany is on the rise increasing by 44% since 2017 and up to 15,000 girls may be at risk. Â
The amount of women and girls in Germany who have undergone the practice has increased to 68,000 this has been attributed to greater immigration from countries where FGM is a more common practice.
Minister Franziska Giffey told reporters that Female genital mutilation is serious violation of human rights and an archaic crime that violates girls’ and women’s right to physical integrity and sexual self-determination, she also said that it has a lifelong physical and physiological consequences for those affected.
Giffey called for new measures of action to be taken against local communities to prevent the number from going on the rise any further.
Chair of rights group NALA Fadumo Korn said that the focus going forward should be “empowering mothers to protect their children.” She presented a petition of 125,000 signatories against female genital mutilation in Germany to Giffey.
The rise from 44,000 in 2017 was so large because of increased immigration from countries like Eritrea, Somalia, Indonesia, Egypt and Nigeria, Giffey said.
The World Health Organization estimates that around 200 million women and children around the world have undergone female genital cutting.
The experience is one that is not near memorable and this was confirmed by activist Fatou Mandinag Diatta who underwent the practice herself in her home town of Senegal when she was about four of five years old.
She narrated the ordeal saying she remembers how her mother asked her not to cry and her face was serious. Then two ladies came forth. One held her hand and the other, her legs. And then a third lady made an appearance and did something that she felt was very painful.
She did not understand what was going on at the time as she was still very young. The truth later hit her when she began studying anatomy in college.
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FGM is still practised in some places around the world on the pretext of religious and cultural beliefs. The unearthing of the reason for the practice could be the only solution to removing it from the mindset of many as practice that is necessary and a passage rite.
Some babies have been subjected to the act and have not survived.
Source : NALA Fadumo Kor