Ending Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) demands that we look beyond the blade and confront the entire system that keeps the practice alive. The fight against malaria offers a compelling analogy. In malaria, the mosquito transmits the disease, the parasite causes the infection, and the patient suffers the consequences. If we are serious about elimination, we must address all three. The same is true for FGM.
In this analogy, the mosquito represents the cutters — the visible actors who perform FGM. They are often the focus of public outrage, legal enforcement, and community interventions. Like mosquitoes, they are the carriers of harm. But mosquitoes do not create malaria; they transmit it. Similarly, cutters operate within a social environment that enables and sometimes celebrates their role. If we remove one mosquito without draining the swamp, another will emerge. Suppressing cutters without transforming the underlying beliefs simply pushes the practice underground.
The parasite — the real cause of malaria — symbolizes the harmful norms and expectations frequently reinforced by men and boys. These include beliefs about purity, marriageability, obedience, family honor, and control over women’s sexuality. Though not always visible, these attitudes circulate quietly within families and communities, reproducing themselves across generations. When men prefer circumcised wives, remain silent in the face of harm, or pressure families to conform, they unintentionally sustain the infection. The parasite thrives in silence and cultural fear. Until these norms are confronted and redefined, FGM adapts and survives.
The malaria patient represents survivors — girls and women who bear the physical pain, psychological trauma, and lifelong health consequences of a system they did not design. Like patients, they deserve healing, empathy, and long-term support. They are not the problem; they are the ones affected by it.
To eliminate malaria, we treat the patient, control the mosquito, and destroy the parasite. To end FGM, we must support survivors, hold cutters accountable, and fundamentally transform the attitudes of men and boys. When the parasite dies, transmission ends — and future generations are finally protected.
