Arbaete-Asmara sub-zone in the central region of Eritrea has officially been declared free of female genital mutilation (FGM), APA can report on Tuesday.
This was announced on Monday at a special ceremony condemning the practice of FGM that was held under the theme “No to Females’ Genital Mutilation.”
According to the coordinators of the program, the achievement registered was the result of the relentless awareness raising activities by the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare and the National Union of Eritrean Women branches in the Central Region.
Alganesh Tiku’e, administrator of the sub-zone, called on residents and institutions to ensure continuous monitoring and support for its sustainability.
According to report from the Central Region, similar efforts to eradicate females’ genital mutilation are being conducted in all the sub-zones in the region.
FGM takes place in Eritrea for various cultural, religious and social reasons. The main drivers are preserving virginity, preventing pre-marital sex, and social acceptance. Religious approval has reduced significantly over the last decade due to intensive sensitization efforts aimed at religious leaders, which has led some to disassociate FGM and religion.
Currently, religious leaders are part of the zoba (regions) and sub-zoba (sub-regions) 10 level committee and are involved in sensitizing communities and advocating for the abandonment of the practice. FGM is performed overwhelmingly by traditional circumcisers.
Although the medication of FGM appears to be common in nearby countries, such as Sudan, those working to combat the practice in Eritrea say that medication has never been an issue in Eritrea, and that medical professionals are effectively deterred from performing the procedure because imprisonment is the consequence of being caught.
It is estimated that at least 100 million girls and women alive today have undergone some form of FGM and a further 68 million are at risk of being cut by 2030.
MG/abj/APA