FGC in Somalia: An in-depth report

Monday 02 March 2015

Health and Education Advice and Resource Team (HEART) recently put out a report on FGC prevalence in Somalia, and we’ve done the hard work so you don’t have to – here’s a summary of some of the findings from this impressive, useful 100+ page report.

It is estimated that 98% of women in Somalia have been cut. HEART researchers had teams in Puntland, Somaliland and South Central. Their research included a stakeholder and intervention analysis and an overview of general public opinions on FGC. The study ultimately revealed that for FGC to end in Somalia there is a desperate need for more research, long term funding, greater communication between all actors, and a unified message of what FGC itself and what the notion of ‘zero tolerance’ means. 

 

Types of FGC in Somalia

One of most distinctive things about FGC in Somalia is the language used to describe FGC. The blanket terms for FGC are Gudniin which includes male circumcision and Sunnah referring only to female cutting.  For Somali communities, it seems that discussion of zero tolerance and FGC refers only to Pharaonic infibulation (Type III).This is largely due to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) which in the 90s advocated for the abandonment of only Pharaonic infibulation, calling it FGM/C. Due to their efforts many communities report abandoning FGC but still practising Sunnah. Even though the law prevents all types of female genital cutting, these laws are widely interpreted as only meaning Type III. Because of this fundamental misunderstanding, alternative types of infibulation exist; Sunnah Kabiir which involves fewer stitches than typical Pharaonic infibulation and Fadumo Hagoog is a type of infibulation that does not involve stitches at all. Somalis refer to type I and II as Sunnah Saqiir.

 

Ongoing work

The UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme (UNJP) has been working in tandem with several NGOs at the local level to provide FGC education programming and abandonment advocacy to several areas within Somalia. However, these initiatives have several challenges, the greatest of which are the lack of consistent funding and a lack of consistent focus. Funding for these programmes tends to only last for one year and other funding opportunities are sometimes attached to broader issues of gender-based violence without earmarks for FGC specific work. The HEART study showed that areas that had been reached by NGOs were more likely to have community members who have given up the practice, although none of the communities that were surveyed had fully abandoned FGC.  Because there is no baseline research there is no way of knowing what messages in these areas are working. Further, if messaging has worked there is a tendency for communities to return to the practice after NGOs have left. This highlights the need for long-term funding and consistent messaging for continued progress.

Signs of Progress

Even with many challenges, progress is still being made. FGC was banned in the draft constitution in 2012, and presidents and the First Lady of Somaliland have publicly stated their commitment to ending FGC. Similarly, representatives from Puntland, Somaliland and South Central regions all pledged their commitment to ending FGC at the 2014 Girl Summit in London.  A fatwa was issued in Puntland condemning all forms of FGC. Puntland is also developing an anti-medicalisation strategy. 

 

You can download the full report here.