In Egypt, social pressure means FGM is still the norm

Efforts by UN and others to educate parents and doctors could take a generation in country where practice is endemic

Awatef Mohamed Ali with her son and daughter, Shahd, at a meeting in Assiut, Egypt this week. Photograph: Christina Rizk/Christina Rizk /UNFPA

Children holding up anti-FGM pictures they drew at a school in Assiut, Egypt, on 1 February.Photograph: Christina Rizk/UNFPA

Patrick Kingsley in Assiut-Friday 6 February 2015

Awataf Mohamed Ali’s son lies fast asleep on her lap, but her 10-year-old daughter, Shahd, is very much awake. In fact, she looks horrified. Ali has just calmly explained that in just 18 months’ time, if she can find a doctor willing to help, Shahd will probably be subjected to female genital mutilation.

FGM has been illegal in Egypt since 2008. But Ali claims that adherence to the law will result in her daughter “being ill-mannered and doing bad things, and being badly behaved”. Sitting to her left, Shahd says nothing. In this remote village in southern Egypt, girls’ bodies are not theirs to control.
In Egypt, Social Pressure Means FGM is Still the Norm by Thavam Ratna