Abstract
The practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) generally persists in the northeastern belt of Uganda in spite of legal and other socio-economic mechanisms at national and local levels geared towards curbing it. FGM constitutes one of the foremost violations against the rights of girls and young women and significantly affects their welfare later in life. This study established that FGM was driven and sustained by commercial gains resulting in commoditization of girls, forced/early marriage and child bearing, impacting the reproductive health rights and the right to education for the girl child. The beneficiaries who form a chain involving elderly women, families of victims and other cultural leaders present FGM as a cultural practice simply to legitimize it and shield it from legal and other opposition forces. We recommend that actors rethink current interventions in addressing FGM with a view to developing more unique interventions to provide varied alternative sources of income for the actors, improving the livelihood options of those involved and also paying due attention to community attitudes. It also raises policy and programming issues that need to be considered in prevention of FGM and in mitigating its harmful effects on the girl child and the community at large.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Benintendi, L. (2004). The Sabiny of Uganda, David D. Friedman’s homepage, may. http://www.daviddfriedman.com/Academic/Course_Pages/legal_systems_very_different-. Accessed Feb 2016.
Bukuluki, P. (2013). Negotiating universalism and cultural relativism in peace and developmentstudies. International Letters of Social and Humanistic Sciences, 10, 1–7.
Gombachika, B. C., Fjeld, H., Chirwa, E., Sundby, J., Malata, A., & Maluwa, A. (2012). A social ecological approach to exploring barriers to accessing sexual and reproductive health services among couples living with HIV in Southern Malawi. ISRN Public Health, 2012. doi:10.5402/2012/825459.
Gruenbaum, E. (2001). The female circumcision controversy: An anthropological perspective. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
Mafabi, D. (2011, July 30). Why the Sabiny are gritty to female circumcision. Daily Monitor.
Mgbako, C., Saxena, M., Cave, A., Shin, H., & Farjad, N. (2010). Penetrating the silence in Sierra Leone: A blueprint for the eradication of female genital mutilation. Harvard Human Rights Journal, 23, 111–140.
Morison, L., Scherf, C., Ekpo, G., Paine, K., West, B., Coleman, R., & Walraven, G. (2001). The long-term reproductive health consequences of female genital cutting in rural Gambia: A community-based survey. Tropical Medicine & International Health, 6(8), 643–653.
Mujuzi, J. D. (2012). Female genital mutilation in Uganda: A glimpse at the abolition process. Journal of African Law, 56(1), 139–150.
Munir, M. (2014). Dissecting the claims of legitimization for the ritual of female circumcision or female genital mutilation (FGM). International Review of Law, 6, 1–11.
Nalaaki, R. (2014). Knives of Sabiny women, ritual and power. Sabiny perception on female genital mutilation and advocacy programs. Master's Thesis, University in Trondheim.
Namulondo, J. (2009). Female genital mutilation: A case of the Sabiny in Kapchorwa District, Uganda. Dissertation, University of Tromsø School of Global Studies, Roehampton University.
Ochen, E., Awich, N., Kalule, E., Musinguzi, L.K., & Ssemakula, E. (2014). Empowering children and their communities to address harmful practices and violence against children in eastern Uganda: an action baseline study report (Unpublished).
Odoi, A., Brody, S., & Elkins, T. (1997). Female genital mutilation in rural Ghana, West Africa. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, 56(2), 179–180.
Opesen, C. C. (2016). Trans-border cultural and reproductive health traditions: An ethnographic study of Pokot female genital modifications in the Kenya-Uganda border. Dissertation: Makerere University.
Pergert, P. (2008). Facading in transcultural caring relationships health care staff and foreign-born parents in childhood cancer care. Unpublished Dissertation, Karolinska Institute, Sweden.
Sachs, W. (1992). One world. In E. Dietrich & Koppensteiner (Eds.), Key Texts of Peace Studies (pp. 282–305). Vienna: LIT Verlag.
Sagna, M. L. (2014). Gender differences in support for the discontinuation of female genital cutting in Sierra Leone. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 16(6), 603–619.
Salonen, R. (2012). The light of the future Understanding the Pokot as pastoralists. Fostering positive change through culturally sensitive efforts.Godparents News, 14(3)
Sengendo, J., Bukuluki, P. & Walakira E.J. (2000). A cultural approach to HIV/AIDS prevention and care UNESCO/UNAIDS research project. UNESCO Studies and Reports, 15.
Shweder, R. A. (2000). What about “female genital mutilation”? And why understanding culture matters in the first place. Daedalus, 129(4), 209–232.
Too Many. (2013). Country profile: FGM in Uganda. http://28toomany.org/media/uploads/UgandaFinal.pdf. Accessed 4 Dec 2015.
Uganda Bureau of Statistics, & ICF International Inc. (2012). Uganda demographic and health survey 2011. https://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR264/FR264.pdf. Accessed 10 Oct 2015.
Uganda Bureau of Statistics, & Macro International Inc. (2007). Uganda demographic and health survey 2006. http://www.dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR194/FR194.pdf. Accessed 12 Jan 2016.
UNICEF. (2013). Female genital mutilation/cutting: A statistical overview and exploration of the dynamics of change. http://www.unicef.org/media/files/UNICEF_FGM_report_July_2013_Hi_res.pdf. Accessed 28 April 2014
Ventevogel, P. (1996). Whiteman’s things: Training and detraining of Healers in Ghana. Amsterdam: Het Spinhuis.
World Health Organization. (2008). Eliminating Female Genital Mutilations: An interagency statement. Geneva: World Health Organization.http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/43839/1/9789241596442_eng.pdf. Accessed 30 Nov 2014.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Ochen, E.A. et al. (2017). The Female Genital Mutilation Economy and the Rights of the Girl Child in Northeastern Uganda. In: Kaawa-Mafigiri, D., Walakira, E. (eds) Child Abuse and Neglect in Uganda. Child Maltreatment, vol 6. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-48535-5_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-48535-5_8
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-48534-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-48535-5
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)