Image – www.theguardian.com
Over the considerable period of time that I have been involved in the area of Ethnic community issues there have been a few “No-Go’ zones. These are those areas that I will never advocate for despite the cultural history of groups undertaking these activities. Some of these are as follows, in no particular order:
The introduction of Sharia Law in this country.
The acceptance of polygamous marriages here.
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) or Female Circumcision.
It is the third of these issues listed above that I wish to examine in this article.
Let me start by saying that the act of FGM should be called just that. Calling it Female Circumcision, in my view, somehow legitimises the act because of the widespread practice and acceptance of Male circumcision in a number of groups. So what is the practice?
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines the practice as follows: “all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.” Further the practice is described in Wikipedia in these terms: “The practice involves one or more of several procedures, which vary according to the ethnic group. They include removal of all or part of the clitoris and clitoral hood; all or part of the clitoris and inner labia; and in its most severe form (infibulation) all or part of the inner and outer labia and the fusion of the wound. In this last procedure, which the WHO calls Type III FGM, a small hole is left for the passage of urine and menstrual blood, and the wound is opened up for intercourse and childbirth. The health effects depend on the procedure but can include recurrent infections, chronic pain, cysts, infertility, complications during childbirth and fatal bleeding”. The procedure is undertaken usually without anaesthesia or other medication.
Ayan Hirsi Ali, the former Dutch MP, has written extensively about her own personal experiences about the practice. She had FGM perpetrated against her at the age of 5. Ms Ali is a vigorous campaigner against this practice and has established organisations to combat it. She is also the subject of an Islamic Fatwa and is fearful of her life. She lives in the US and has visited Australia on occasions.
Before discussing the details of the laws and related matters in respect of the practice one issue must be clearly established. The practice of FGM is not a religious one. Islam does not and has never prescribed nor proscribed it. It is a practice, as indicated above, of certain cultural and ethnic groups. These groups originate from parts of sub-Saharan Africa and South East Asia.
Why am I raising this issue now? Because it was reported today in the Sydney Morning Herald, that a father had been charged there for the FGM of his infant daughter. Obviously that matter is the subject of a court procedure and it would therefore be inappropriate for me to discuss the details. The reports in the SMH can be accessed here:
In September 2012 a couple in WA were charged for a similar offence. Interestingly that charge was dropped in July 2013 by the DPP. Details are here:
What is known in that case is that the child was taken to Bali to undertake the procedure. This is a concern for us here in WA because of the large amount of traffic between Perth and Bali. This is potentially therefore a practice that can be accessed easily.
The laws regarding FGM are very strict. In WA the practice is illegal. It is also illegal to take a child out of the state to have the practice undertaken. It is illegal in all states of Australia to undertake the procedure in question.
But is the practice occurring here in Australia? The evidence is patchy at best. One of the difficulties in this issue is, as Ayan Hirsi Ali says, “It was done to me at the age of five, and 10 years later, even 20 years later, I would not have testified against my parents. It is a psychological issue. The people who are doing this are fathers, mothers, grandmothers, aunts. No little girl is going to send them to prison. How do you live with that guilt?”
The experience in countries outside Australia can give us some idea of the potential for it occurring here. The Standard in the UK estimates that there are 66,000 women who have had FGM perpetrated on them. “…often carried out by untrained family members with knives or razor blades, with a further 30,000 thought to be at risk. Freedom of Information requests revealed that more than 2,100 women had visited hospitals or clinics in London as a result of genital mutilation since 2006, and that more than 700 needed further treatment or surgery. A growing problem, FGM is often carried out on UK-born girls at about the age of five or six, though some are younger; and often happens during school holidays on visits to extended family in African countries where the practice is routine — most commonly, Somalia, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Nigeria, Eritrea and Sudan”.
This would certainly point to the potential of this barbaric practice occurring here in Australia.
What needs to be done to address this practice?
I believe that a really important message can be communicated by one or two prosecutions being conducted successfully. So the dropping of the charges in the case here in WA is a concern. The case in Sydney will provide us some guidance for the future.
A further suggestion from Ayan Hirsi Ali is to have an annual visual examination of “at risk” children. This is a practice that is fraught with difficulty. One of the difficulties is the issue of stereotyping these “at risk” children. It is something that needs to be dealt with sensitively.
I believe that education programs in languages other than English need to be undertaken urgently. Some years ago I was involved in the management and production of videos about the subject. Unfortunately, those resources do not appear to be in existence any more.
Whatever we choose to do in this State and country in regard to this matter, there is certainly evidence that we have a problem that could be quite large potentially. We need to act decisively and sensitively to address the issue.
This is yet another issue for the Minister for Multicultural Interests and the Minister for Police to deal with. We await their consideration of the matter.
Just a few comments on the matters discussed here –
1. FGM is against the law – legislation in WA has been in place for a number of years. Furthermore, a number of community education programmes, especially within the education area, have been developed and circulated. In spite of this fact very little is being done. Personally I have come across one situation where the appropriated information has been prepared and distributed and yet it has not gone past the old District Offices within the Education Deprt. Just what professional development has been undertake by the Education depart to inform teachers and nurses at the “coal face” – the schools ? NONE !
To the list I would also like to add the matter of “arranged marriages” of teenage girls.
What steps have been taken to monitor the situation?
What information has been given to teachers in schools to keep a look out for sudden disappearance of girls from their classroom of those of the appropriate cultural background?
There have been a number of cases in the Eastern States where the possibility of this unacceptable cultural activity has been prevented and yet there is now sign that a vigilant stand has been taken in W.A.