"Zero Tolerance", a strong position for an intercultural encounter and its ensuing set of intricacies, battle against ethnocentrism and learning of intercultural relativism. Nevertheless, we must take sides if we are to consider the universality of human rights and the fact that persons concerned are most often mutilated during their childhood, thus the act constitutes an unjustifiable determining of their future as well as a violation of their free will and integrity¹.

A day of “intolerance”, also, which invites to focus rather on what needs to be done instead of what has already been accomplished, in the fight against female genital mutilation. Yet 2011 has witnessed a few advances.

Less than a month ago, the first conference ever to be given on this theme in the Middle East took place in Beirut, Lebanon, allowing a taboo to take the forefront of the stage: female genital mutilation is not solely the concern of Africa, Asia or the West, via population migrations. Victims of FGM are also found in Yemen, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Oman and Saudi Arabia². The process is being put into place.

New countries have taken steps towards criminalizing FGM. The government of Iraqi Kurdistan has passed legislation to that effect, approved by the Parliament of Kurdistan³. Switzerland has also introduced a new norm into its Criminal Code, applicable not only to mutilations committed within Swiss territory but also to those committed in foreign countries by Swiss residents⁴. Switzerland has yet to develop a comprehensive system for prevention, which may aim to criminalize other "harmful traditional practices" such as forced marriages. At last, Kenya has become the twentieth African State to criminalize FGM on September 20th. If laws alone are not enough to put an end to this practice, at least they permit activists to refer to them, thus facilitating their work.

In 2011, voices have moreover been raised from religious and traditionalist groups condemning FGM, for example in Gambia⁵, which contradicts the erroneous yet widespread idea that these practices are advocated and recommended by religion, notably Islam.

Medicalisation

For the World Health Organization, the key word is "zero tolerance", too, despite the trend towards a medicalisation of the practice, which could be seen as a lesser evil. Instead of this, the WHO is fighting a battle against the medicalisation of this practice, which has the effect of legitimizing a traditional practice which continues to hurt the victim long after the moment of the act (consequences on mental health cf. a recent study conducted in Iraq, problems that influence the woman throughout her whole life, including the enormous risks for mother and child during delivery).

Zero Tolerance, yes. But not to fall victim to ethnocentrism, one must reflect on similar practices which exists in ALL cultures. For example, how are we to consider the long and painful operations inflicted upon children whose sex is not defined a birth (about forty cases per year in Switzerland)? In Switzerland, following a Parliamentary questioning⁶, the Federal Council (acting government) has decided to ask the Ethics Commission to study the issue. Some organizations, such as Germany’s zwischengeschlecht.org does not hesitate to denounce "genital mutilations of children for esthetic purposes" in child clinics. The question of domination on women put aside, and proportionately speaking, it would also be fair to question the blind abandon with which we put our trust in science, in our societies, in replacement of, perhaps, tradition.

On this occasion:

Monday the 6th February 2012

• From 2PM to 4PM, the Inter-African Committee on traditional practices is organizing a meeting on the theme "Malabo to New York, supporting the UNGA resolution on Zero Tolerance to FGM". Ariana Museum, Avenue de la Paix 10, 1202 Geneva.

• Film screening at the Cinema Grütli, Rue Général-Dufour 16, Geneva (salle Langlois), brought to you by the organization Maasai Aid Association: 16PM - "La fleur du désert" ; 6:30PM – Moolaadé ; 9PM - "La fleur du désert". Entrance fee: 12.-. At the end of each screening, the association will be available to answer the public’s questions.

Tuesday the 7th of February 2012

During the weekly meeting of the Rotary Club Sion Rhone at 12PM at the Hotel du Rhone (Sion): conference given by Mahamed ABDI, from the Association RAJO and intercultural speaker (Somalia) against FGM in the fight against FGM in Switzerland and in his native country.

Friday the 10th of February 2012

At 8PM at the Church of St-Theodule (Sion), concert in favor of RAJO: "Les Séductions" by Jean-Sébastien Bach, followed by music and texts by Anna Magdalena Bach, given by the Flatus ensemble.

1 Female Genital Mutilations (FGM) : document and definition by the IDE
2 Desert Flower Foundation
3 June 21st 2011, "Law on domestic violence"
4 Source: Swiss center for competence for human rights; Swiss Confederation website
5 Source: All Africa.com
6 "Intersexualité. Modifier la pratique médicale et administrative." (Intersexuality. Modifying medical and administrative practices)

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