WADIblog

Hivos and our partner WADI proudly announce the launch of the ‘Stop FGM Middle East’ campaign’s website to break the silence about female genital mutilation (FGM) in the Middle East and to contribute to its full elimination.

Girls and women all over the Middle East face the practice of FGM, which constitutes a gross violation of their rights and is often condoned by various cultural, traditional and religious excuses. Credible data and statistics on the prevalence of FGM are essential if we are to break the silence and taboos surrounding the practice of FGM in the Middle East. Hivos and WADI started collecting evidence on FGM and reporting on activism against FGM in Middle Eastern countries in 2011. In January 2012, WADI and Hivos organised a conference on FGM in the Middle East in Beirut. It was the first of its kind. Experts and activists from Iraq, Yemen, Indonesia and Egypt took part laying the foundation of a region-wide network to fight FGM.

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Green Cross, who funds the WADI Playbus program has put a Picture Gallery online:

Today WADI finished a first training course for midwifes in Halabja. This is an important part of the ongoing anti-FGM campaign. These midwifes usually perform this practice and earn money with it. In these trainings they sign a document that they are going to stop performing FGM. In exchange they get a paramedic training and a certificate which enables them in future to work as recognized midwifes and first aid assistants. These trainings are a co-operation project with the Ministry of Health. Funded by the Dutch NGO HIVOS, WADI is planning to conduct many more of these courses in other regions of Iraqi-Kurdistan.

Nach Untersuchungen der Hilfsorganisation Wadi ist Genitalverstümmelung nicht nur in Afrika verbreitet und die Zahl von 140 Mio. betroffenen Frauen, die die UNO nennt zu gering. Thomas von der Osten-Sacken von Wadi spricht im Interview mit dem radio Dreyeckland außerdem über den Zusammenhang zwischen Genitalverstümmelung und ihrer Rechtfertigung durch islamische Rechtsschulen.

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The long road to the first « FGM-free villages » in Iraq

By Arvid Vormann

According to a large survey conducted in 2009, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is prevalent in all provinces of Kurdish Northern Iraq, except in the far northern Duhok region. More than 72% are affected, in villages and cities alike, among illiterates and, to a lesser extent, among academics. FGM is almost everywhere.

The area, heavily struck by Saddam’s genocidal poison gas attacks in the late 80s, by civil war in the 90s, and threatened by Saddam’s army and Islamic groups until 2003, is also marked by very high rates of honor killings, domestic violence, forced marriages and other gender-related crimes. Mobile health teams of the German-Iraqi relief organization Wadi first reported the existence of FGM in 2004. After the toppling of Saddam Hussein, time seemed to be ripe. The first few women started to talk about all the pain and agony caused by the physical and psychological consequences of the mutilations forced on them as little girls. Since then, democracy and freedom of the press, despite all their immense shortcomings in this autonomous region, have laid ground for a successful public campaign against FGM. “Stop FGM in Kurdistan” was a grass root initiative – something hitherto unheard of, as usually everything is controlled from above. The feedback was overwhelming. Human Rights Watch further promoted the cause.

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Eine Reportage in der Welt über die Aktivitäten von WADI gegen FGM:

Das barbarische Ritual der Genitalverstümmelung bei Frauen wird in der muslimischen Welt viel öfter praktiziert als bekannt. Im Nordirak gehen Aktivisten von Dorf zu Dorf, um die Praxis zu bekämpfen.

Von Hannah Wettig

Zwölf Frauen haben sich in der Lehmhütte des Dorfvorstehers in dem kleinen kurdischen Ort Jalamord in Irakisch-Kurdistan versammelt. Die Sozialarbeiterin Rozan Kader ist aus der Stadt Sulaimaniya angereist, um in der Hütte einen Film über weibliche Genitalverstümmelung zu zeigen. Einige Frauen murren, dass man sie von der Arbeit weggeholt habe.

Der Dorfvorsteher schaut kurz herein und fragt, ob alles in Ordnung sei. Dann sieht man auf der Leinwand eine Ärztin über medizinische Folgen dieses Eingriffs reden; anhand einer Zeichnung wird die weibliche Anatomie erläutert. Einige kichern, andere drehen sich beschämt weg.

Als ein islamischer Geistlicher auftritt, muss Kader den Film unterbrechen, weil wütendes Gemurmel seine Erläuterungen übertönt. “Warum wurde uns nicht gesagt, dass es nicht Sunna ist?”, will eine ältere Frau wissen. Sunna bedeutet dem islamischen Recht folgend.

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Denge Nwe press conference in Halabja, December 22, 2012

Denge Nwe, the independent radio for the youth and women of Halabja, has announced a project to involve the people in the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the chemical bombardments in March 16, 1988, which have left 5,000 people dead and thousands injured and displaced.

Until now, these commemoration events have always been planned and organized without the active involvement of the people of Halabja. Among the survivors and their progeny a general feeling of being abused prevailed. The project has been developed to involve the Halabjans personally in the preparations and ask them about their feelings and ideas. This approach is meant to give people a voice and let them commemorate this most horrifying event in their history in a more appropriate and self-determined way. As a grassroots initiative it is contributing to the ongoing democratization process.

During the next 2 months, 5,000 citizens of Halabja will be questioned about life in Halabja today, the services they receive from the KRG (Kurdish Regional Government), demands of the people, how they are coping with their memories about this tragedy, and the ways they wish to commemorate the anniversary.

A standardized questionnaire was prepared for this purpose. The number 5,000 is a symbolical allusion to the 5,000 victims of the attack. The interviews will be conducted by young volunteers who are all descendents from survivors.

In early March, the results will be published and submitted to the KRG government and parliament.

Supported by: WADI & Green Cross Switzerland
Denge Nwe is the first community radio for women and youth in Iraq. It was founded with support from WADI in 2005. More information here.

CPT-Iraq wrote a portrait of Shanga Rahim from WOLA, a cles partner organisation ofd WADI in Iraqi-Kurdistan

I asked Shanga, what was the most difficult part about her work and what caused sadness as she struggled with these issues? “I am still sad about Female Genital Mutilation. I am working to stop this mutilation because it is very bad for girls. It affects all aspects of their life…their marriage, their sexual experience with their husband and, during childbirth”, she said.

When asked, what was the most frustrating part of this work, she said, “I get so upset when women tell me that their husband will teach them how to behave. Women need to know their own rights and act on them. The FGM work is also still very challenging. Many people think that our Islamic faith requires FGM; therefore, they don’t consider it a bad thing for their children and our future. I wish people had more information about FGM, as this is difficult for us when we are working and speaking with mothers”.

I asked Shanga to say a little bit about some of the successes that she sees in this work.
“I am happy to say that at the present time, in Kurdistan, domestic violence is lower, that surely is a success. Also, more and more people know about FGM and its harm to women. In fact, a law has been passed. The law states that mutilation must be stopped. Therefore, fewer women are being mutilated than years ago”. She smiled, saying that she was already seeing some changes.

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Der neue WADI Rundbrief zum Download

In 2004, when WADI started the campaign against FGM in Iraqi-Kurdistan, no one in the KRG Government was ready to even admit that this practice exists. In contrary for years they all denied it and it was a hard struggle to get the message through. And now, eight years later, the Prime Minister adresses it on a conference:

,,I call on mothers and sisters to help stop the mutilation of women.” That was the very modest way Kurdish Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani referred to FGM, or female genital mutilation, at the opening of the Campaign to Eliminate Violence against Women, on November 25 in Erbil.

A village dedicated to stopping female genital mutilation received an electric generator

On this bright October day, a hope was fulfilled for the inhabitants of Gewzsa, a poor village north of Raniya, with houses clinge to the rocky, parched hillsides. A midsize truck carrying a new electric generator rolled in. The village is part of the FGM-free village programme, run by Wadi. The participating villages take part in community developement projects, while they publicly commit themselves to abandon the harmful but deeply rooted practice of female genital mutilation (FGM).

The people of Gewzsa are committed to the cause. In this traditional and conservative village, a remarkable change is unfolding. In Raniya area FGM is a widespread practice. Traditionally, almost 100% of the women were mutilated. Recently, Gewzsa women participated in Wadi’s awareness program and, having learned about the negative consequences of FGM, men and women of the village are now convinced that FGM should be abandoned. Together with a couple of other villages, they joined Wadi’s Free FGM Village programme in 2011.

People decided they would like to have permanent electricity. Until now the village has only had a few hours electricity per day delivered through the national electricity grid. With the electric generator, Gewzsa will have almost 24 hour electricity, enabling things like permanent cooling of the fridge that are taken for granted in the city, but hardly available in the remoter rural areas. Now even a deep-freezer can be installed! Fuel and wires will be provided by the Kurdish government.

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Reuters with a portrait of Tutakal, one of the first FGM-Free Villages in Iraqi-Kurdistan:

In remote rural areas, however, ancient traditions often rule. Honour killings, where women are murdered to protect the family’s honour, still occur, and FGM is widespread, in part because it is supported by some clerics who say it is part of sharia or traditional Islamic law.

This could be changing, however.

In Tutakal, the donation of basic school services and a small classroom by a German-funded non-governmental organisation called WADI has helped convince residents to stop the practice.

It is a promising model, activists involved in the campaign to stop FGM say, one they hope will spread to other Kurdish villages. The activists work to convince villagers the practice has no basis in Islam and spread the word that it is now against the law.

“More people understand this is a crime, and they can’t practice it any more, but we still need to implement the law,” said Suaad Sharif, a field worker with WADI. “They say their grandmothers did it, their mothers did it, it was a habit that they had to carry on.”

Tutakal ist ein abgelegenes Dorf in den Bergen der Autonomen Region Kurdistan. Weibliche Genitalverstümmelung wurde hier von beinahe allen Familien praktiziert. Doch das hat nun ein Ende: Die Bewohner des kleinen Dorfes haben sich kürzlich darauf geeinigt, FGM nicht länger zu praktizieren, wie alarabiya.net am Sonntag berichtete. Als Gegenzug wurde den Dorfbewohnern von Seiten der Hilfsorganisationen vor Ort Unterstützung in der Grundversorgung und in der Errichtung eines neuen Klassenzimmers zugesagt, das hier dringend benötigt wird.

Aktivisten, die bei diesem Projekt beteiligt waren, halten es für ein vielversprechendes Modell zur Ausrottung weiblicher Genitalverstümmelung. „Jetzt verstehen die Menschen, dass FGM ein Verbrechen ist und sie es nicht länger praktizieren können“, freut sich Suaad Sharif von der deutschen NGO WADI.

Mehr als 40 Prozent der Frauen und Mädchen in Kurdistan werden Opfer weiblicher Genitalverstümmelung. Bereits vor über einem Jahr verabschiedete der irakische Teil Kurdistans ein Gesetz, das FGM unter Strafe stellt. Doch die Umsetzung des Verbots erwies sich als schwierig und ein Rückgang der Opferzahlen blieb aus.

“Wir können jetzt das Leid der Frauen nachempfinden. Die Frauen fühlen sich unvollständig, weil ihnen ein Stück ihres Körpers weggeschnitten wird”, sagt Dorfvorsteher Sarhad Ajeb zu den Gründen des Verbots. Und er betont: “Diese Praxis wird im Heiligen Koran nicht erwähnt.”

Quelle 

Today Human Rights Watch strongly critizised the lack of will in Iraqi Kurdistan to implement the Domestic Violence Law that includes  a ban on FGM. WADI and our partner organization WOLA are extensively quoted in this report:

“There have been [government] awareness campaigns for other parts of the law, but not FGM, because the subject is taboo,” Falah Moradkhin, project coordinator for WADI, told Human Rights Watch. “There have been no publications or awareness campaigns by the Health or Education Ministries.

“If it will take some time to deal with the problem of FGM, we understand, but we don’t see the government doing anything. Midwives licensed by the Health Ministry haven’t been retrained and police aren’t given instructions to enforce the law.”

Tara Ali Arif, a lawyer with WOLA (Women’s Law Association), a woman’s legal aid association in Sulaimaniya, told Human Rights Watch, “It is a good law, but there is no real effort on the part of the government to implement it – not even the first stages.”

“The law says that women should be employed by police stations to help deal with the issue,” Arif said, referring to the domestic violence law generally. “Out of six police stations in Sulaimaniya we visited, none have received any orders to even look into hiring women.”

This petition is a call for society to immediately protect from violence all women and girls in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRG). The silence about ‘honor’ killings in the KRG is deafening, and one more example of this is the case of 15-year-old Nigar Rahim, who was raped by one brother in 2011 and later killed by another brother on July 20, 2012.

Nigar lived in Kalar City in the Garmayan district of Iraq and was under the protection of the Directorate to Investigate Violence after giving birth to a child as a result of the rape. After her family negotiated with police, Nigar was returned to her family on June 12, 2012. She was brutally murdered less than five weeks later by one of her brothers.

Her rape and murder is shameful and influences every human being. Nigar’s case, among the many ‘honor’ killings reported in the KRG, demonstrates the urgent need for government, and women and civil society organizations, and every citizen to take immediate action to stop the violence against women and girls, including ‘honor’ killings.

Killing women and girls in the name of ‘honor’, as well as all other acts of violence in the name of culture, religion, and tradition is shameful. We believe it shows a bad side of human behavior that is extreme and animal-like.

Read the whole petition 

Download the study here

The Hague / Suleymaniah June 11, 2012 The silence on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in the Middle East needs to be broken. To end this brutal violation of human rights that is systematically applied in the region, NGOs Wadi and Hivos are expanding their pioneering work in Iraq to eleven countries.     

FGM was regarded for decades solely as an “African problem”. But it is not just that; several indications and first pilot surveys now shed light on a topic that was never spoken about: FGM is present everywhere in the Middle East.

After a first key conference in Beirut in January with FGM-activists from several Middle Eastern countries, Hivos and Wadi decided to jointly engage in a programme to combat FGM in the region. The first phase of the programme is to raise awareness about the problem of FGM in the Middle East and initialize a public discourse about it. An important aspect is also to strengthen and enlarge the regional network in combating the practice.

Read the whole press release

Wadi recently published some TV spots against FGM in Kurdistan in co-operation with the filmmaker Nabaz Ahmed, quoting the new law. Here an example:

The text of the Domestic Violence Law banning FGM says:

Those who conduct or participate in female circumcision shall be punished with imprisonment for not less than (6) six months and not more than (2) years and a fine of not less than (2000000) two million Dinars and not more than (5000000) five million Dinars or by either of the two penalties.
Article VI : Law No. 8 of the Year 2011 , The Law Against Domestic Violence in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Gola Ahmed Hama arbeitet seit 2008 als Koordinatorin von Wadi Projekten in der Pishder, einer Region in Irakisch, die nordöstlich von Suleymaniah an der iranischen Grenze liegt. (…)

 Frage: Die Pishder Region wurde in einem jüngst von unserem Büro in Suleymaniah in Zusammenarbeit mit Euch erarbeiteten Bericht als „Hölle für Frauen“ bezeichnet. Warum?

 Selbst im Vergleich mit anderen Regionen in Kurdistan sieht es bei uns schlimm aus. Wir haben gerade neue Zahlen vorgelegt. In den letzten drei Jahren haben wir 13 670 Frauen und Mädchen befragt, ob sie genitalverstümmelt seien oder nicht. 12 760 davon sind es.  Das ist eine Rate von fast 95%, während sie ansonsten in Kurdistan durchschnittlich bei 50-60% liegt. In vielen Schulen haben wir kein einziges Mädchen getroffen, das nicht verstümmelt ist.

So gut wie niemand kann sich seinen Ehepartner aussuchen, das arrangieren alles die Familien. Und alleine in den ersten drei Monaten diesen Jahres sind fünf Ehrenmorde gemeldet worden und acht Versuche von Mädchen, sich selbst umzubringen. Und das ist nur die Spitze des Eisberges. Denn noch immer werden viele Fälle von häuslicher Gewalt nicht bekannt.

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