“By not involving men in the fight against Female Genital Mutilation is like a doctor treating the signs of a disease and ignoring the disease itself”. Most if not all the reasons as to why women undergo FGM are either directly or indirectly geared towards increasing marriageability, pleasing men, or benefiting them in one way or another.
Now the question begs What role do men play in FGM and are they even aware of what happens during the cut? I will say in most cases men don’t attend the actual cutting ceremony. Hence they don’t get to see what happens. In some instances, the whole FGM ceremony is done in secrecy with it being an “only invitation party” for the aunts, grandmothers, and a few other women.
Could this mean the man just influences FGM sits back and waits for the woman to execute then appears to collect the bride and cows for dowry and disappear again? Assuming this is the reality though not in all cases how do men get to learn about FGM? Rule out the option of them seeing the scar on their wives as sex in most traditional African societies is sacred and should be enjoyed at night and if done during the day people should cover themselves.
Don’t even think about men being at the labor ward/witnessing delivery by midwives/TBAs that’s almost a taboo down here. In my specific context of the Kuria community, “just an example”, the youths provide the security and escort for the women and other participants in the FGM ceremonies. This has made it very difficult even for law enforcement agencies to carry out their mandate due to violent resistance.
All the above clearly indicates a gaping gap in the fight against FGM. Should we change the strategies we have embraced over and over again and think about how to actively engage men at different levels in this fight? Or can we say men have been sufficiently involved already and there is no need to panic?
Let me conclude by saying the fight against #FGM is a communal affair and all community members should be actively involved for it to succeed. And to achieve the generational change that we so much yearn for we need to actively engage the youths with a specific focus on men who are the future potential husbands.
@TonyMwebia #MenENDFGM
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Enjoyed reading this, very good stuff, thankyou.
Leviticus19:28-29, 28You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the LORD. 29 Do not prostitute your daughter, to cause her to be a harlot, lest the land fall into harlotry, and the land become full of wickedness. Fgm honoured prostitution castration defilement by parents is a satanic sacrifice culturally endorsed for man. The flesh is cut in honor of the dead as a satanic sacrifice for man in womanhood , of secrecy with miseries and constraints of disgrace to behold accompanied by many cases of traumatic child delivery requiring medication. It is the time satan camps in the garden of love and wreaks havoc to the fountain of love defense fences. Where is the wise man of God in Divine wisdom who would ever raise an altar of satan in fgm and tear down the helms of womanhood frm the apex with mutilating blades defiling daughters to sexual cripples to be clean? The sanctuary and the offering on the altar are all spiritually sanctioned sanctified unto God The garden of love is excavated and made rocky. For girls to free and safe from fgm , parents and men in satanic slavery require redemption of soul and spirit unto sanctification to God. Proverbs 4 :18-19; proverbs 14 :1-2; Song Of Solomon 4:12; Song Of Solomon :7-1; Corinthians 7 :8. The fleshy coals ( the seals, boughs or the petals of love which are the fleshy pillows being the branches beside and the fleshy alert notification aerial being the stay of love or the palm t ree) are excavated making the king of marriage an intruder and a rod of torture. The fleshy coals helps a woman to lock par with a husband in love. The garden of love vitality is permanently disabled, rigidly chilled, muted and the fountain defiled. 1 Peter2: 15, Isaiah 5:20-23. The defense and the fences of the marriage court are dismantled and destroyed at the altar of satan.
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