Ending Female Genital Mutilation or Cutting will not succeed without legislation and political commitment from the government.
Anti–FGM/C awareness raising was enduring for the last 20 years, and now community is ready to abandon this practice; but for the absence of national policy committing what to do and what not, people are now moving from Infibulation type (III) and type (II) which’s less harmful form and they named into ‘Sunna circumcision’.
In December 2018, NAFIS conducted impact assessment in three regions of Somaliland to envisage the changes that have been realized like the people’s attitudes on ending this practice, this assessment was contrasting the other study implemented in 2014. The study stated that people opted to move from the most severe form of circumcision to what they called Sunna. But, comparing to the last Year; Fatwa produced by the Ministry of Religious Affairs, is not the real ‘Sunna’ but it’s a form between Infibulation and Sunna. In Islam what is called Sunna has no stitch no cut but it’s just a prick, but the current Sunna circumcision that study found has cutting and two to three stitches. Majority of the respondents opted to perform the new form of practice at health center such as Mother and Child health Centers (MCHs).
In Islam what is called Sunna has no stitch no cut but it’s just a prick, but the current Sunna circumcision that study found has cutting and two to three stitches. Majority of the respondents opted to perform the new form of practice at health center such as Mother and Child health Centers (MCHs).
Since NAFIS has been at the forefront of Ending FGM effort in Somaliland for over a decade, pushing policy and law that criminalizing this harmful practice and as well as actively supporting grassroots awareness messages by the member organizations, NAFIS suggesting without clear legal system and national policy nothing will be achieved towards ending this practice. Government commitment is the sole requirement needed to manage these changes from the community and ending this harmful practice.
However, NAFIS Network urging the Somaliland government, legislators and civil society activists to commit to ending this harmful practice by pushing the draft Bill and policy. Otherwise; other several decades will last without improvement.