It has been one month since the Gambian Parliament upheld the ban on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) on July 15, 2024 – a practice that experts warn can cause severe short-term and long-term physical and psychological harm, including infections, future reproductive complications, and post-traumatic stress disorder. The ban is a significant milestone, especially given the country’s high FGM prevalence rates. According to the WHO, over 73 percent of girls and women aged 15 to 49 in The Gambia have already undergone this harmful practice, with many subjected to it before their fifth birthday.
More than 230 million girls and women worldwide have experienced FGM according to UNICEF’s “Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: A Global Concern” report. This marks a 15 percent increase (30 million additional cases), from eight years ago. African countries account for the majority with more than 144 million cases. Asia follows with over 80 million, and the Middle East accounts for over 6 million. FGM is also practiced in small, isolated communities and among diasporas around the world.
The highest prevalence rate of FMG in Africa was in Somalia with around 98 percent of women and girls aged 15 to 49 having undergone the practice. Then Guinea, Djibouti, Egypt, Mali, Sudan, and Sierra Leone follow with rates all above 85 percent. Other African nations with significant rates include Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, and Eritrea with rates at 65 percent or higher. Trailing after the top 10, but still with a high rate is Chad with 44 percent.
“I think there are many resources which explain FGM and early marriage and offer solutions from socio-cultural perspectives,” Dr. Seble Daniel, the executive director of the World Evangelical Alliance Women’s Commission said in an interview with CDI. “What we lack is a theological reflection.”
In one chapter of a booklet, originally published in Amharic, Daniel and a colleague from Ethiopia take steps toward a theological reflection on this issue with a focus on Ethiopia.
They specifically explore the Church’s role in combating both FGM and Early Marriage (EM). They emphasize the Church’s responsibility to support organized efforts by collaborating with government agencies concerned with eradicating harmful traditional practices like FGM and EM.
They also suggest that the Church provide counselling and support to survivors of gender-based violence (GBV), guiding them away from seeking vengeance and mistrusting all men. They argue, “The prophetic calling of the Church demands that, as God’s agent on earth, it teaches its members to care for both body and soul and to be a voice for the voiceless. This involves serving as an agent of justice and peace and advocating for human well-being. Thus, working to end FGM and EM is a core responsibility of the Church.”
The chapter concludes by presenting a renewed perspective on worship and genuine faith as illustrated in the Bible. It states, “Women are suffering and enduring lifelong torment due to FGM and EM. Jesus works through His Church to end these harmful practices and to offer love and compassion to victims. True fasting and prayer, as described in the Bible, are not detached from the suffering of those around us. Isaiah 58 clearly outlines the kind of prayer and fasting that God honors. Taking a stand against FGM and EM and supporting victims represents some of the highest forms of worship pleasing to God.”
UNICEF reports that around the world one in five women between the ages of 20 and 24 were married under the age of 18. While nearly half of those came from South Asia, sub-Saharan African countries account for 20 percent. West and Central Africa had the highest rate of EM with six of the region’s countries included in UNICEF’s top 10 list of global countries with the highest number of child marriages.
EM disproportionately affects girls, with 640 million girls and women worldwide impacted by the practice. Child grooms account for more than 100 million who are married as children. Girls who marry before 18 experience more domestic violence and have less opportunity to complete schooling. These disconnect them with positive childhood experiences that can improve adulthood.
Those who become pregnant during adolescence have increased difficulties in their pregnancies and during childbirth including a higher chance of maternal death. These factors create worse health and economic outcomes for them than for their peers who do not marry at an early age.
On 2 July 2024, Sierra Leone passed a law which bans EM. This marks a lauded milestone in bringing this practice to an end. Men who marry girls under 18 can now face 15 years in prison or more as well as a fine of around $4,000 USD.
First Lady Fatima Bio advocated for the law across the country expressing her desire to see girl’s get the chance to grow, mature and make the best in life. In an interview with the BBC, she said, “the cycle of child marriages will lead to children who will not be educated, who will not be empowered, who cannot contribute to nation-building.”
EM occurs most frequently in poor, rural communities with traditional patriarchal systems. The practice can be entrenched in cultural and moral norms and be considered the next step into womanhood following FGM.
Light of Life (LOL) is a Christian Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) working with children and families in the Maasai community in Kenya to rescue children from harmful practices like FGM and EM.
Evelyne Nakola, LOL’s founder, grew up in a rural village and has over 100 cousins. She saw her female cousins go through FGM and EM. She said in an interview with CDI, “…[It] traumatized me as I watched them endure the pain of the cut, a practice still celebrated publicly.”
She explained that her father refused to participate in these practices even though his siblings did them with their children. “He stood his ground and firmly refused to change his mind, facing rejection and hatred, making it impossible for us to continue living in the village.”
Nakola said that LOL’s approach is based on the “foundations of Christ,” where girls and boys receive an education and come to know God, who is the beginning of knowledge. Since the organization's establishment in November 2011, over 2,000 girls and boys have successfully completed the program.
“We now have girls who are teachers, lawyers, nurses, entrepreneurs, hoteliers, and many other professionals,” said Nakola.
The ministry’s name is drawn from John 8:12, where Jesus said, “Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
