A portrait of Yama Bathia

Friday 30 August 2013

Earlier this month we looked at the role that individuals play in changing the public perception around female genital cutting (FGC). The piece mentioned Yama Bathia, from Bany in Senegal. Yama has recounted personal experience of gender based violence and recently spoke with Tostan social mobilisation team members about female genital cutting. 

A few years ago, Yama Bathia was a victim of violence in her own home.  Since that day, she has worked hard to create a safe space for problem solving in her community and to challenge harmful social norms, such as child/forced marriage and FGC. On a recent visit to Bougnadou Manjaque, Tostan SMAs spoke to Yama personally about her experience with violence and how that has shaped her perspective of FGC. Yama agreed to share her story, in hopes of raising awareness about gender based violence and educating others on the harms of FGC.

SMA: Can you share your personal experience with violence with us?

Yama: Yes…. One day during winter, after the rains came, I was cultivating rice in a field 5km from our village. I had a young infant at home, and I left her with my husband while I worked in the fields. There was so much work that day—and the work is hard—and I had to walk all the way back.  So I arrived home late, around 7pm. My daughter was crying because she was hungry and had not eaten since before I left. I went outside to wash so I could breastfeed her, and I heard a loud noise behind me. It was a big surprise– my husband found me and started beating me with a wooden stick. He hit me several times very hard, all over my back, until I fell down in pain and started screaming. He tried to keep hitting me but my family heard the screams and intervened. A few hours later I was still very upset, but asked for help to organize a meeting. I first spoke to my husband, and he explained that he was angry at me for leaving our daughter without anyone to breastfeed her. I told my husband I was sorry, but that in the future we should discuss our problems respectfully. If we can’t resolve them, we should ask for help from someone in the village…. but violence is never a solution.”

A Tostan Meeting in Yama's village, Bougnadou Manjaque

A Tostan Meeting in Yama’s village, Bougnadou Manjaque

SMA: What happened after this incident occurred? Has there been any violence in your community since then?

Yama: After this my husband apologized and it has never happened again. We talked about violence, especially against females, as a community in a large meeting too. We all agreed that violence is never acceptable and that we would try to make a space for people to go to discuss problems. Sometimes they talk to their family, or an Imam, or the local village counsel, and sometimes we talk together as a community. I don’t think any other women have experienced violence since then. Our village is small so everyone knew about this and I think it changed the way people deal with problems. I think it made people realize that violence is never a good solution, and that violence against women is something we cannot accept.

SMA: How does this relate to FGC? Do you see that practice as a type of violence?

Yama: Yes. After the incident with my husband we talked more about violence in our community, and I thought a lot about violence against women. I realize that FGC is a type of violence, especially against

children (girls). They do not authorize this practice and have no choice in being cut. I think this practice is very old, it is not a part of Islam, and we see now that it causes serious health consequences. We had some problems in our village with girls who were cut before, but we ignored them for a long time. Since our community has started talking about violence….and violence against women, it has been easier to discuss FGC. With campaigns from Tostan too, we’ve really started to understand how FGC is a violation of human rights, and how it blocks our development. Our village has decided to abandon the practice completely, and I hope that other villages will follow.

SMA: What would you say to others who practice FGC?

Yama: I would tell them that this practice causes a lot of problems for women and girls, some very serious and sometimes even death. I would tell them that this practice is a form of violence against women and girls— that it’s a violation of our human rights. I would tell them that must stop this practice together so we can improve our health, develop our community and live in more peace.