Almost all women aged 15 to 49 in the east African state of Somaliland have suffered female genital mutilation. But a campaign to highlight the physical and psychological damage caused by the practice is starting to have an impact
Photographs: Georgina Goodwin/UNFPA
Main image: Asha Ali Ibrahim, 41, with her cutter’s tools Photograph: Georgina Goodwin/UNFPA
Fri 11 Aug 2017 06.04 EDT Last modified on Wed 19 Oct 2022 12.00 EDT
Somalia has one of the world’s highest rates of female genital mutilation. In the self-declared autonomous state of Somaliland, an estimated 97% of girls and women have suffered in this way Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Cibaado Ismail, 80, lives in Rugta camp for internally displaced people, just outside Hargeisa, Somaliland’s capital. She lost one of her four daughters due to complications while giving birth because of FGM Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Ismail was made aware of the dangers of FGM following a campaign in the camp. She has since banned all 10 of her granddaughters from being cut Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
In stark contrast, Asha Ali Ibrahim, 41, is preparing for her 10-year-old granddaughter to be cut. Ibrahim is a cutter. By now, Ibrahim’s granddaughter, who lives with her family in the Diaami neighbourhood of Hargeisa, should already have undergone the procedure, but because she got sick it has been delayed. She says she is ready to be cut because she wants to be a woman Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Asha Ali Ibrahim started cutting in 1997. She learned the practice from watching her own mother, who performed FGM on her and her sisters. Her mother would use one blade to cut many girls, which often resulted in infections. Ibrahim uses a fresh blade for each procedure. She charges $15-20 (£11-15), depending on the wealth of the girl’s family Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
The tools used by Ibrahim to carry out FGM include razors, kerosene to clean the wound, an egg used as glue to stop the bleeding, a syringe and a numbing agent. A powder concoction that includes sugar and crushed Ampicillin antibiotic capsules is deployed to stop excessive bleeding and fight infection Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Ibrahim says most of the girls she cuts are from the displacement camp or the local neighbourhood. June to August is the ‘peak season’ for cutting, she says. People from the diaspora who come to her for FGM are often aged 12 to 14. But that is too old, she says. She prefers to cut girls aged seven to 10, because the skin is still soft. Ibrahim says she cuts up to 20 girls a month, and has done for 20 years Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Campaigns to educate people about the practice, with the ultimate aim of stamping it out, are starting to slowly have an impact. At the Hargeisa Institute of Health Sciences, midwifery students like those seen here are learning more about the complications arising from FGM, as part of a campaign entitled I Am the Change Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Asha Ali Suldan, the institute’s principal tutor, says it began its midwife programme last year to teach methods of dealing with the complications associated with FGM. Women are more likely to experience heavy bleeding after delivery and need a caesarian. The extent of these problems depends on the type of FGMShare on FacebookShare on Twitter
Sheikh Almis Yahye Ibrahim, 47, head of the International Horn University in Hargeisa, is also challenging traditional views about the practice. He preaches about the harm of FGM to the 5,000 people who attend his mosque. He is one of six sheikhs in the Arab region who have formed a network to fight FGM. He has three daughters, none of whom have undergone the procedure Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
At the Muslim college in Hargeisa, the Somaliland Youth Peer Education Network (Y-Peer) speaks to students about the health problems that can arise as a result of FGM. The network is supported by the UN population fund, UNFPA Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Y-Peer particularly targets health students. As well as visiting colleges to raise awareness, the young people share information on Facebook and Twitter Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
