Tante Mado - one woman's struggle against female genital cutting in Guinea

International Women's Day (IWD) is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. In some countries like China, Russia, Vietnam and Bulgaria, IWD is a national holiday. Held on the 8 March each year, the first IWD was run in 1911.

To mark this day Plan is highlighting the story of Tante Mado - one woman who has started a movement against Female Genital Cutting (FGC) in Guinea, West Africa.

"I was my mother’s only child and I almost lost my life twice. The day of my excision I bled a lot and went into shock. My mother cried and screamed thinking I was dead.It took 15 days to heal – for three days I couldn’t urinate or defecate because it hurt the wound too much. These are very painful memories. Excision was worse than giving birth."

Nearly 50 years later, Tante Mado, still finds it traumatic to discuss the day she was excised. Despite this, she talks about excision most days as she spearheads a movement challenging the practice in Guinea.

Appalled by the deaths and suffering of women she witnessed in her 38 years as a midwife, Tante Mado set up the Association des Femmes pour l’Avenir des Femmes (AFAF), the Women’s Association for the Future of Women. In May 2007 Plan began funding an AFAF project raising awareness of the consequences of excision, or Female Genital Cutting.

The practice is an ancient tradition, deeply entrenched in Guinean society where 98% of girls are excised. It forms part of a girl’s initiation into adulthood and any challenge is seen by many as a direct threat to the country’s culture. A taboo subject, excision has remained a secret passed on through generations of women. Until now.

AFAF informs and involves everyone in the community: girls, boys, women, men, chiefs, local authorities, even former excisors – the women who perform the ceremony. AFAF has also developed an alternative initiation ceremony for girls.

The project has taken this area of Guinea by storm. Barely a year into the project one village, Koumonin, declared publicly that it would no longer practice excision. Another village has recently followed suit and three more are expected to do so imminently.

On 6 February – International Day Against Excision – hundreds of girls and women marched through Gueckedou town centre. This public display of non-excised girls would have been unthinkable before but the project has snowballed.

"I was very happy marching and singing about excision – what was once hidden has now come out. I’m really happy that this practice is coming to an end," said one girl.

LEFT: View a slideshow of images from the campaign against female genital cutting in Guinea

Female Genital Cutting in West Africa

Each year, an estimated 2 million girls worldwide undergo excision or female genital cutting (FGC).  FGC is practiced throughout West Africa, but Guinea has a particularly high prevalence – 98%.

In Guinea there three types of excision are practiced:

1. cutting the clitoris
2. cutting the clitoris and inner labia
3. cutting the clitoris and both inner and outer labia

The most prevalent type in Guinea is type 2.

FGC in Guinea forms part of an initiation ceremony that girls go through as a rite of passage into womanhood. An ancient tradition, the initiation allows girls to be part of a secret society for women. The pact of silence agreed by women means that girls have no idea of what is involved in the initiation ceremony.

By excising their daughters, parents show respect for their culture and ancestors. Although many parents do not see any benefit in the practice, it would be inconceivable to them to disrespect customs by not excising their daughters.

Consequences of Female Genital Cutting

Most excisions are performed without anaesthesia. The first experience is extreme and unexpected pain. The most common immediate complication is excessive bleeding due to accidental cutting of a major vein or artery. Other complications are urinary retention, tetanus and other wound infections. Deaths of girls during initiation ceremonies are not uncommon.

If the cutting instruments are shared in a group initiation, the girls are vulnerable to HIV infections. In the long term, there are complications for giving birth, menstruation, scarring, as well as problems for sexual intercourse.

Plan's Work in Guinea

Plan began working in Guinea in 1989.  Plan Guinea’s programs aim to address the following issues affecting children:

• Child and adult health issues relating to nutrition, sanitation, HIV and AIDS and immunisation
• Poor child attendance at school
• Child involvement and participation
• Lack of community involvement and organisational development
• Poor governance, lack of decentralisation, a weak civil society and a climate of violence following years of fighting between Guinea and the neighbouring countries has lead to widespread poverty