Female genital mutilation (FGM) in Brussels: “a bigger problem than thought”

This summer, posts defending female genital mutilation circulated on social media. They are also reaching parents and young people in Brussels. That is why, on Saturday 10 October, on the eve of the International Day of the Girl Child, GAMS and its supporters are gathering outside Central Station to say ‘no’ loud and clear, as they did previously on 22 August in countries including Mali and France.

What proponents pass off as ‘tradition’ has a face. A girl from Anderlecht is travelling to her parents’ family home in the summer. What she doesn’t know is that a family member thinks it is ‘time’. Every year before the summer holidays, GAMS receives enquiries from worried mothers, grandmothers and sisters, as well as teachers and doctors who fear precisely this.

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is any procedure in which the external genitalia of a girl or woman are partially or completely removed or injured without medical justification. It ranges from the removal of the external part of the clitoris to the almost complete closure of the vaginal opening. The consequences last a lifetime: pain, infections, complications during childbirth, sexual difficulties and deep psychological trauma.

The problem is more widespread than many people in Brussels realise. There are more than 23,000 women living in Belgium who have been subjected to FGM, and over 12,000 girls are at risk if no preventive measures are taken. In the Brussels Region, this correponds to nearly 9,800 girls and women who have undergone the mutilation or are at risk. These figures date from late 2020, and every new study to date has shown an increase. The figure is believed to be a significant underestimate of this form of gender-based violence, which occurs in 94 countries worldwide and is the fourth leading cause of death among girls and women in African countries where the practice is carried out.

A trip to country of origin...

The mutilation rarely takes place in Belgium itself. The greatest risk arises when travelling to the country of origin, sometimes with a girl who is left behind there. That is why GAMS launches a prevention campaign every year ahead of the summer period. Last year, the focus was on protective parents, as they are the ones who can put a stop to this intergenerational trauma, even if it sometimes takes all their strength and courage to stand up to social pressure.

Why does it still happen? Not because parents want to harm their daughters. FGM is a social norm. A girl who has undergone FGM is regarded as a full member of the community. Anyone who refuses risks exclusion and a break with the family. No religion prescribes it. At its core, it is about control over women’s bodies and sexuality. FGM is not a cultural practice, but gender-based violence.

Social exclusion and discrimination, a language barrier, uncertain residence status, poverty and dependence on family abroad place girls in an even more vulnerable position. Anyone who thinks this is a problem for ‘others’ would do well to take a look at themselves. FGM is an umbrella term. Broadly speaking, any procedure on the genitals without medical necessity and without free, informed consent is a form of mutilation. This happens in Belgium too, even if we do not call it that: an unnecessary episiotomy during childbirth, a ‘husband stitch’ to narrow the vagina, or operations on babies with variations in sex characteristics (intersex children). In each case, someone else decides what constitutes an acceptable body.

A 'husband stitch' is a non-medical practice whereby an extra stitch is added during perineal repair after childbirth to tighten the vaginal opening for the male partner's sexual pleasure.

Stricter laws? No, that doesn’t seem to be the answer. Since 2001, FGM has been explicitly made a crime in Belgium, even when carried out abroad. What is lacking are the resources to carry out prevention on a structural level. Punishment always comes too late.

A cultural shift is already underway, driven by the communities themselves. The ‘Community Voices’ are initiating dialogue in their own languages and through their own networks. GAMS itself was also founded by the communities themselves, by a number of courageous role models, including Khadidiatou Diallo. GAMS also calls for a cultural shift within a broader social context, to tackle patriarchal gender roles and ensure that women’s bodies are no longer used as pawns in political discourse and public opinion.

"Specifically, we are calling for structural funding for prevention rather than one-off projects; for professionals in schools, the healthcare sector, the Flemish children’s agency Kind en Gezin and its Francophone counterpart ONE and the pupil guidance centres CLB that can recognise the warning signs before the summer holidays; a prevention programme linked to family reunifications and a procedure to bring back girls who are trapped abroad; and men, young people and religious leaders who speak out. A father, grandmother or imam who says ‘not my daughter’ carries more weight than ten leaflets.”

This article originally appeared in Dutch on Brussels media outlet Bruzz .