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Abebaw Bogale: “At 15 they already seem older. They think that the younger a girl marries, the more submissive she is."

2022-12-06T11:11:05.472Z


The coordinator of the National Alliance to End Female Genital Mutilation and Child Marriage in Ethiopia explains that girls are mutilated to ensure their chances of marriage


“Girls' entire lives are violated once they are handed over against their will,” says Ethiopian sociologist Abebaw Bogale with a straight face.

He is the coordinator of the National Alliance to End Female Genital Mutilation and Child Marriage in Ethiopia and speaks, during a visit to Madrid, about the challenges and difficulties his country faces to eradicate the practices that, in his words, lead the most extreme manifestations of violence against women.

“[Girls] are mutilated to ensure their chances of getting married,” he explains, and assures that “at 15 they already seem older.

They think that the younger a girl marries, the more submissive she is."

Ethiopia, along with Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic or Somalia, are part of the 20 countries where both practices are still carried out,

For Bogale, however, the achievements are considerable, since the country went from having a prevalence of female genital mutilation (FGM) of 80% in 2000, to 65% in 2016 (the last date for which there is a record).

These figures, however, may be an illusion.

“We are too diverse a state, we have 82 ethnic groups, each with their traditions, their culture and their religions, and this multiplicity causes child marriage rates to vary from 27% in certain regions to 91% in others”, he laments. .

He is sitting in the auditorium of the Casa Árabe in Madrid, where politicians, diplomats and people linked to humanitarian assistance met last Friday to analyze the role of feminist cooperation against violence against women and girls around the world, in an event organized by the Spanish Cooperation.

More information

Women's fight against female genital mutilation

Now, Bogale, through the National Alliance, a coalition of public and private organizations, led by the Ministry for Women, monitors the progress of the National Roadmap to eradicate both child marriage and FGM, which has been raised as a goal to reduce the numbers of FGM and child marriage in a period of five years (from 2020 to 2024) and that expects to completely eradicate both problems by 2030. “The solution lies in a change of mentality.

The problem is that this is a slow process, ”she specifies.

Ask.

The National Roadmap states that

progress to end child marriage by 2030 should be six times faster, while to end FGM it should be just over seven times faster.

What is obstructing this process?

Answer

.

In 2003 FGM was declared illegal;

child marriage was banned a year later.

There are laws that penalize them with three to five years in prison, and from six to eight years, respectively.

The problem is that there is a loophole when it comes to applying existing legislation.

Who is going to stop those who commit FGM or child marriage if the same police are part of these ceremonies and parties and enjoy them?

Both are part of their culture, their traditions, their way of conceiving the social structure.

Q.

What else fails?

R.

We do not always have all the professionals we need to go and train the different communities.

A budget is required to train more people, to move around the territory and carry out campaigns, which is why it is also difficult for these changes to take place at the necessary speed.

Our goal competes with many other needs of the country, such as guaranteeing education, health, improving the agrarian system, so the State tends to prioritize other needs, which seem more urgent in sight.

Q.

_

If the police and the members of the communities themselves have been sensitized on this issue, why do they continue to commit these crimes?

R.

Many people are not opposed to stopping the practice of FGM and child marriage, what happens is that they are very afraid.

Both are closely related.

He mutilates himself to ensure the chances of girls getting married.

Many people fear that if they do not carry out this practice, their daughters will not be able to get married.

In several regions this is not a religious motivation, but a cultural one.

Furthermore, refusing to mutilate a little girl before marriage can cause friction with the groom's family and with the community.

Another factor is economic, when a household has a girl, they can more easily access a loan because they know that by giving her in marriage they will receive financial compensation.

Many times parents are forced to give their daughters on loan to be able to pay the debts they have pending.

Q.

_

And in what region is this a religious motivation?

R.

_

Especially in the east of the country.

These are Muslim communities that are in a very specific area of ​​the country.

They think that if the excision is not carried out, these girls will never get married and they fear divine punishment or not being able to count on God's benefit.

That is why 90% of the communities that extend in this region carry out the ablation.

Q.

In the northern and southern areas of Ethiopia the figures are lower?

R.

_

Yes, in Christian communities the official figure is lower, but these data can be misleading, because here the ablation is performed at an early age.

There, the common thing is that the girl is circumcised after 15 days of birth, this means that there are no reports or records.

There are no official data, but this practice continues to be carried out.

However, both in the Muslim, Christian, Orthodox and Protestant communities it is considered that when the girl is a little developed she can already be married.

Around 12 years old.

Q.

And the male children too?

R.

_

No, for this reason, it is very important to sensitize men because many times they are the ones who pressure them to marry girls, although sometimes it is the mother who insists on marrying her off.

Q.

Until what age?

R.

The 15 years, because from then on they already seem older.

Q.

Why?

R.

Because they think that the younger a girl gets married, the more submissive she is.

In addition, they try to prevent them from having sex with other men.

Q.

How to break with these practices?

R.

Through the education of all the men and women of the different communities of the country, with the support of the representatives of the communities, of the religious leaders, of the police.

Above all, we must strengthen the empowerment of girls.

Here the main role must be played by women.

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Source: elparis

All news articles on 2022-12-06

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