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Overview

• Female genital mutilation remains widespread in Ethiopia’s Afar region, affecting over 95% of girls despite being illegal.
• Courageous parents are defying tradition to protect their daughters from FGM, risking social exclusion.
• Educators and advocates are raising awareness about the dangers of FGM through community education.
• Girls’ clubs run by Plan International empower young girls to speak out and support one another in resisting FGM.

In Afar, a remote region in northeastern Ethiopia, girls as young as one week old can be subjected to painful and life-threatening genital cutting. That’s because Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a deeply rooted and harmful practice that has long been considered the norm here and in other areas of the world for generations.

But momentum for change is gathering strength as more parents are daring to say no and choosing to let their daughters grow up without being subjected to this dangerous practice. This quiet revolution, supported by Plan International Canada, shows that hope can be stronger than tradition.

In Afar, as nomadic communities move through a scorched landscape of sandy plains, small villages and colourful towns appear. It is a beautiful place, but behind this beauty lies a harsh reality for girls.

Shishig, 34, mother to a 14-year-old daughter named Eman, knows this reality all too well. She was one of the first parents in her community to not subject her daughter to FGM.

“Female circumcision is hardly ever talked about here,” Shishig says. “But I knew that it can cause children to bleed to death and that it has lifelong consequences. Women experience problems during menstruation, have difficulty urinating, and face a high risk of infections. It is extremely dangerous. That is why I decided to protect my daughter.”

What is female genital mutilation (FGM)?

Female genital mutilation, also referred to as female circumcision or cutting, is one of the most harmful practices in the world. It involves the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, often without anaesthesia and against the girl’s will. In some cases, the vaginal opening is subsequently sewn closed. The psychological effects of this practice can remain with girls and women throughout the course of their lives.

More than 230 million girls and women have undergone FGM in 30 countries, including in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, and it can be carried out on a girl as young as one week old up to 15 years old, according to the World Health Organization.

Why do harmful traditional practices like FGM persist?

In Ethiopia, the practice is illegal, but it continues to remain widespread: An estimated 65% of women in the country have undergone female genital mutilation/cutting.

In the remote villages of Afar, where traditional leaders and village elders still hold considerable influence, there was little awareness of the health risks associated with the practice for many years. Even today, more than 95% of girls in the region are subjected to genital cutting. For many families, the practice feels like an unbreakable social norm.

Philipos Petros, an expert in sexual and reproductive health and rights at Plan International, explains: “Many people believe that female genital mutilation is simply part of life and that it helps their daughters to marry later on. Underlying this practice are strict ideas about how girls are expected to behave: remaining chaste and virginal. Parents fear gossip and social exclusion if they deviate from these expectations.”

According to Petros, change is only possible when people realize that they are not alone. “To bring an end to female genital mutilation, enough people need to believe that others also support change.”

How parents are helping end FGM

In Afar, that change has begun with courageous parents who were among the first to decide not to subject their daughters to FGM. During training sessions organized by Plan International, they have received practical tools to overcome the resistance they face in their communities and build networks together that actively advocate for change.

Zehara, 37, is a teacher and community educator. She knows how difficult it is to break the status quo. But her mission is clear: to show others what the real consequences of genital cutting are.

“When I told other parents that our children are being mutilated, it sparked a major debate. One woman asked me, ‘Are you trying to make me disloyal to my faith?’ No, I said. Then I told them about a 17-year-old girl with a swollen abdomen. Her father thought she was pregnant, but at the hospital it turned out that menstrual blood had built up because of her circumcision. She was facing life-threatening complications. That made the parents stop and think.”

Parents like Zehara hope that their choice will serve as an example not only to their peers but also to a new generation. Her 14-year-old daughter, Fatuma, is already turning that hope into action: As a member of a girls’ club at her school, she speaks out against FGM and inspires other girls to do the same.

These clubs, established by Plan International, are a key pillar in the fight against this harmful practice. Children learn about the health risks of female cutting and, together, challenge the stigma that still clings to girls who have not been cut.

How teachers and community educators are helping end FGM

Working with parents and children is one of Plan International’s core strategies to curb harmful practices like FGM. But the organization takes things further, explains Petros: “We speak with village elders, community leaders, health workers, law enforcement officers, local media representatives, and even the cutters themselves. We also involve religious leaders, because female genital mutilation is often wrongly linked to religion. In reality, it has nothing to do with faith.”

Ali, 48, is one of the first men in Afar to speak out openly against FGM. He acknowledges that fathers often still have the final say within the family and that this is precisely why he believes men must take a stand. He decided not to subject his daughters to the practice and now encourages other fathers to do the same.

How Plan is helping end FGM

The numbers show that the efforts of parents, girls, and Plan International are beginning to bear fruit: In communities where we have joined forces, the number of girls subjected to FGM is slowly but steadily declining. Yet the wider context shows how fragile progress can be: In other parts of Ethiopia, where conflict and poverty dominate daily life, parents are turning to the harmful practice.

During awareness-raising sessions organized by Plan International, parents commit to continuing to protect their daughters and granddaughters, even in times of crisis, when old customs can resurface. And the young people? Inspired by their parents, they are carrying the movement forward through the girls’ club.