What is it about?
This article explores the human rights debate surrounding the criminalisation of FGM in Nigeria. Attempts to criminalise FGM in Nigeria have been limited and law are unenforced. I argue here that the North-South narrative produces conflicting and unhelpful results. The North narrative disregards the social context of FGM, denies African agency and dehumanises. It is also based on faulty or non-existent data. On the other hand, the South narrative is completely blind to the social context and elevates culture over human dignity, thereby causing the culture to stagnate. This is because the intransigence of proponents cultural adherence stifles human dynamism contrary to the nature of culture and African philosophy. I argue against purely legal solutions that deny the agency of Nigerian women. Nigerian women are very proactive, so taking the solution to FGM out of their hands serves no long term advantages.
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Why is it important?
FGM serves as a linchpin for the variety of issues that impact female sovereignty in Africa. Initiatives suggested by the international community should not ignore the social context in which these issues exist.
Perspectives
When the international community calls for the criminalisation of FGM within sub-Saharan Africa without addressing deeper issues, it is like asking for a plaster to be put on a spreading ulcer - ineffective, inappropriate, patronising and slightly ridiculous.
Dr Foluke Ifejola Adebisi
University of Bristol
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Where the Rubber Hits the Road: The Limitations of the Universalism vs Cultural Relativism Debate Affecting FGM Control in Nigeria, SSRN Electronic Journal, Elsevier,
DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.2510352.
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