Ending Female Genital Mutilation: Progress and Challenges in the Somali Region, Ethiopia

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is widely practiced in African countries such as Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, and Ethiopia. According to the Ethiopian demographic and health survey, the prevalence of FGM in Ethiopia among girls and women aged 15–49 years declined from 80% in 2005 to 65% in 2016. Movements aimed at ending FGM have been informed by ambitious mottos and plans set by powerful global actors (e.g., Zero Tolerance for FGM and Ending FGM by 2030). Although overall prevalence has been declining in Ethiopia, changes towards abandonment of the practice remain very slow in its eastern regions (e.g., Afar and Somali) where Islam is nearly a universal religion.

This chapter explores FGM interventions, some of the achievements thereof as well as obstacles and barriers preventing total abandonment. It is based on research conducted in Somali Regional State in Ethiopia. Qualitative data was collected from a rural community and a town through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions.

The findings of the study reveal that FGM interventions have led to an increasing awareness of the health risks of Gudnika Faronika (infibulation). This has not eradicated its practice; however, an increasing inclination toward the practice of the less severe Sunna circumcision style has been observed. Factors that hinder the abandonment of FGM are complex and include contested meanings of “FGM” and the alleged association of Sunna circumcision with Islamic teachings, as well as the perception of FGM as a symbol of collective ethnic and religious identity.