November 22: A discouraging find

In juxtaposition to my previous post, further research culminated in the finding that Tostan’s relative success in Senegal was met by a substantial amount of opposition-- and some communities even reverting back to their initial ways. This finding was rather discouraging, as my prior research had been so hopeful. Realistically, when dealing with as controversial a topic as FGM, opposing sides should be expected. An interesting BBC article (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3132350.stm) about some Senegal villages rejecting FGM made it a point to highlight that, while the government is indeed opposed to the practice, the tribal custom is deeply rooted in African and Islamic societies. While this does not necessarily counter my previous findings, it seems to formally suggest some Senegalese refusal to stray from their customs. Even more disappointing was a foreign policy blog I came across at http://children.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2007/08/21/female-genital-mutilation-continues-in-senegal/. While the blog discussed the law against FGM--one that specifies it as a criminal offense that would result in imprisonment for 6 months to 5 years-- as a positive step in the right direction, it also discussed critique of the law as many believe programs to educate on the dangers of FGM should have been more widespread prior to its implementation. This suggests a lack of understanding and therefore acceptance of the law. While Tostan’s holistic education approach is clearly rewarding and thus assuring, it is important to remember that they can only reach so many people. Lack of respectable approaches to ending FGM could likely result in inevitable defiance of the law. The statistics found in this blog, which cited the US Department of State 2001 US State Department Report on FGM in Senegal found that since July 1997, approximately 708 villages had banned FGM, but an estimated 5,500 villages in the country continue to practice it. The blog further addressed the fear of many that the official banning of FGM in 1997 wasn’t as momentous as thought, seeing as stories of FGM continue a decade later.
Molly Melching, the founder of Tostan, noted that the organization did not set out trying to end FGM when it began its programs, nor is FGM eradication its only goal. The Christian Science Monitor (http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0405/p06s01-woaf.html), who interviewed Melching, found that--in some ways-- Tostan is becoming “a victim of its own success.” According to the article, as the number of declarations swells, some Senegalese have come to view Tostan as merely an anti-FGM agency. Particularly in northern Senegal where resistance to ending the practice remains strong, some villages have protested and rioted to dissuade the organization from working with them. It is strange that--as huge a success as this seems-- many Senegalese themselves view the FGM ban as an utter failure. The abovementioned foreign policy blog even quoted a woman stating: “The same women who are publicly declaring it has been abandoned are continuing to cut.” This of course, would discredit a large amount of the success my prior research had assumed. It is almost incomprehensible that anybody would resort back to such a practice after having been extensively education about human rights and health concerns.
It was both discouraging and disheartening to see the essential regression in light of all the seemingly necessary progression. The fact that some villages that had taken part in the abolition of FGM were allegedly reverting back to the custom was especially disheartening.