Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is a serious problem in Somalia, especially in IDP camps. SGBV refers to all forms of violence that happen to women and men because of the unequal power relations between them. SGBV is in most cases directed at women because women have less power and status in most parts of Somalia due to the prevalence and history of patriarchal societies.
Female Genital Mutilation (often referred to as FGM) is a destructive operation, during which the female genitals are partly or entirely removed or injured with the goal of inhibiting a woman’s sexual feelings.
Female genital mutilation is classified into four major types.
1. Clitoridectomy: partial or total removal of the clitoris (a small, sensitive, and erectile part of the female genitals) and, in very rare cases, only the prepuce (the fold of skin surrounding the clitoris).
2. Excision: partial or total removal of the clitoris and the labia minora, with or without excision of the labia majora (the labia are “the lips” that surround the vagina).
3. Infibulation: narrowing of the vaginal opening through the creation of a covering seal. The seal is formed by cutting and repositioning the inner, or outer, labia, with or without removal of the clitoris.
4. Other: all other harmful procedures to the female genitalia for non-medical purposes, e.g. pricking, piercing, incising, scraping, and cauterizing the genital area.
KDO Effort to Eradicate FGM:
• Advocacy and awareness on engendering the fight against FGM in Somalia
• Engender knowledge about the causes and consequences of the practice of FGM, how to eliminate it, and how to care for those who have experienced FGM
• Facilitate the exchange of appropriate information and experience sharing on the menaces and how to reverse the actual situation.
• Encourage different stakeholders to join the fight against FGM.
• Employ the media for popularizing the concept of the campaign and its proceedings.
• Strengthening awareness on FGM: training and counseling to girls and women living with FGM.
• Expose the level of FGM.