MALI

FGM  and Culture in Mali

In Mali, Female Genital Mutilation mostly takes place before the age of 5. Three in four girls in Mali undergo FGM, and 89% of the females aged 15 to 49 years old have undergone FGM,  It is Highest in the South and Southwest regions where support for the practice is widespread and the rate has stayed uniformly high since 2001 ( Sakiass0 96%, Koulikoro 95.9%, and Kayes 94.7%)  though studies have shown that there is a decrease in the rate at which cutting is carriType of Cutting that are being carried out. 

The paternal grandmother is the one who decides when and what type of Cutting a girl is to undergo. The reasons for cutting range from decreasing girls’ and women’s libido to fulfilling a prerequisite for marriage.

The 88.6% of the overall prevalence does not include the rural region of Kidal, it could not be surveyed. 70% of women and 68% of men age 15-49, believe that FGM is a requirement of their religion. 75.8% of Women and 74.4% of men (ages 15-49) believe the practice should be continued. The percentage of girls and women aged 15-49 who underwent FGM/C in urban areas was very high in both rural and urban areas.97 Similarly, there were small variations depending on the education level. Additionally, FGM/C was common across different religions.98 75 % of women and girls between 15-49 who underwent FGM/C were Protestant, 83 % Catholic, 89 % Muslim and 95 % of women and girls were indicated as without religion.

The blacksmiths are believed to possess an arsenal of secrets, incantations, and mystical powers that allow them to control the spiritual aspects of everyday life. Despite this, the blacksmiths are considered to be inferior to other castes in Malian society. Their ability to harness the supernatural inspires fear and caution; they are at once shunned and sought out for their services.

The knives, Fanta says, were forged from stone into "raw iron" by her ancestors, and are over a hundred years old. Fanta and her daughter say that this method of forgery ensures that the blades will never rust and will never cause tetanus, something they take pride in. 

(Other, less traditional cutters often use common razor blades.) 

After each girl is cut, Fanta cleans the blade by burning it and disinfecting it with alcohol before using it on another girl. She then uses a blend of shea butter, medicinal plant ash, and treatment with incantations to heal the wound.

 

M'Badialla says the clitoris will grow and hinder a man's ability to penetrate his wife. This is why some men bring their wives to the cutter, she says, "so that he can fulfil his conjugal duties with pleasure." 

Removal of the clitoris and surrounding flesh is also believed to encourage faithfulness, cleanliness, and stability in marriage. Without removing these parts, many Malians believe that a woman will be promiscuous, dirty, and uncontrollable.

FGM and Religion

According to the 2018 DHS survey, 70 % of women and 69 % of men aged 15-49 years

believed that FGM/C was required by religion. The perceptions varied by region: while in Gao 6 % of women and 4 % of men believed that FGM/C was mandated by religion, in Sikasso 76 % of women and 78 % of men believed so.

According to an expert interviewed for this report, drivers for FGM/C included religion and social pressure. The social perception is that if a girl or a woman had not undergone FGM/C their prayers would not reach God and therefore they were not real Muslims. According to the expert, this perception could prove challenging in a community with strong religious elements. 

A 2020 study by the Population Council noted that one of the main drivers for FGM/C in the communities of Bobo in Koury, of the Senoufo in Finkolo and of the Bwaba in Boura was religion and what was perceived as religious pressure.

FGM And Law

There is no national legislation in Mali that specifically criminalises and punishes the practice of FGM, though there have been several attempts to introduce a ban on the practice, it faces objections and is yet to be passed.

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