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Indonesia

Female Genital Cutting in Indonesia: A Field Study

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Female Genital Cutting (FGC) – sometimes referred to as Female Genital Mutilation or female circumcision – is defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as ‘all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.’

An estimated 200 million girls and women around the world are currently thought to be suffering the consequences of FGC. Although the bulk of attention, research, and programmes has mainly centred on countries in Africa and on African diaspora communities, the occurrence of FGC in other parts of the world has for too long been ignored by the international community – which often dismisses FGC as an ‘African phenomenon.’

Further research, however, will underline that FGC is not limited to Africa. Rather, it is a global issue with girls and women in communities within Indonesia, Malaysia, Iraq, Oman and other parts of the Middle East also being subject to FGC. The mixture of drivers that perpetuate this practice through generations include tradition, culture, religion, and social pressure.

Although FGC pre-dates Islam and is not practised by the majority of Muslims worldwide, Islamic Relief Canada has learned that there is a large proportion of Muslims (men, women and girls) around the world who believe FGC to be an Islamic imperative or – at the least – not something to be condemned.

Ongoing research appears to show that there may be additional countries where FGC is practised but is often unacknowledged in the wider community – as it is considered to be solely a ‘women’s issue’ and is practised in the confines of the home. Often (as in parts of Kurdistan, for example), even brothers and fathers will know little of its occurrence which also means that there is virtually no regulation in place to monitor the effects of this ‘women’s secret’.

In Indonesia, FGC remains a complex issue and one that has become a social norm. The practice is often referred to euphemistically as ‘female circumcision’ rather than ‘genital cutting’ or ‘mutilation’ in order to minimise its import.

In 2001, one of the first surveys to be published on this issue showed that up to 71 per cent of Indonesian women have undergone FGC. A further study carried out in 20036 revealed that 92 per cent of Indonesian families would choose to continue performing FGC on their daughters, with the practice ranging from the symbolic – such as a small tap with a bamboo stick (Type IV) – to slicing the clitoris off with scissors (Type I). In 2016, UNICEF released a report which included data on the practice of FGC in Indonesia for the first time. The report found that 49% of Indonesian girls under the age of eleven had undergone FGC. While FGC is believed to have been occurring for years in Indonesia, the debate and discussions around the practice began after the 2010 authorisation by the Indonesian Ministry of Health to regulate the practice.

This ruling overturned an existing ban on the practice under pressure from Indonesia’s largest Muslim cleric body, The Majelis Ulema. This ‘compromise’ saw the government agreeing to overturn the existing ban while also introducing legislation stipulating that FGC must only be performed under medical supervision and only in accordance with specific guidelines. Under the 2010 FGC regulation, the Indonesian government argued that issuing guidelines on how to perform FGC ‘prevents harm to girls’ as it only allows for a slight cutting or scraping of the skin undertaken only by medical practitioners. This claim, however, has been disputed by many medical experts and human rights groups, who raised concerns that medicalisation of the procedure doesn’t address the potentially traumatic effects of FGC and that its promotion will result in an ever-increasing number of women suffering the consequences of FGC.

In early 2014, the Indonesian government revoked the 2010 law stating that because FGC does not have any medical urgency, the government will not condone it. Critics have argued that this 2014 regulation is a step backwards rather than forward because it still allows for the practice of FGC to be continued without any State intervention and facilitation. When it comes to FGC in Indonesia, the mandate for action lies with the Health Consultative Assembly who is yet to set a legal framework for the practice of FGC in the country. While the international community sees FGC as harmful and a violation of women’s rights, to the average Indonesian it is seen as an Islamic duty – similar to how male circumcision is perceived in the Muslim world. And, as Indonesia is home to over 250 million Muslims, experts warn that the global prevalence of FGC could be higher than current estimates.

To understand the extent of the practice, and to discern any changes in where and how it is observed, gathering information on FGC in specific countries and communities is essential. Field research also helps improve understandings of the social dynamics that perpetuate FGC and interventions that may contribute to its decline. Only with this type of knowledge can policies and programmes be effectively designed, implemented and monitored to promote its abandonment13 – which forms the primary objective of this field study.