Shocking details of the FGM pledge

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Trusting humans in this world is hard but sometimes the reality is people’s word is all you have.As shocking as pledge method may sound, research has proven that a new attitude and education has spared the the girl child from huge distress.

Ngianga-Bakwin Kandala, a professor of biostatistics at the UK’s Northumbria University and the study’s lead author, told the BBC the team hadn’t looked at the reasons why FGM rates were falling. However, he has “a working hypothesis” that it’s down to the attitude of mothers.

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Reconcilation Ceremony brings girls & mothers together without FGM

“Many international organisations have invested a lot of money… the mothers have been educated,” he said.

“If there is any change, we’ll be seeing it perhaps through the decision they’re going to make for their daughters.”

Some parents may simply fail to report having had their daughters cut, he admits – especially in countries which have made FGM illegal.

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“That is possible because [in this study] we are relying on the goodwill of the mothers reporting that their daughter was circumcised. There may be fear of the law, or the stigma attached to it.

“In Senegal, for example, we know that people have made public declarations. A huge event – people will gather, and you pledge that you will not be doing this to your daughter. In terms of reporting, then you may be feeling embarrassed having to report that you have done it. This is a very valid point.”

Activists hope further research will now examine changes in attitudes to FGM around the world, so the data can be considered in its full context.

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Study, published in BMJ Global Health, cited a “huge and significant decline” among under-14s.

The practice involves removing all or part of a girl or woman’s external genitalia, including the clitoris.

Some societies treat it as a rite of passage, but human rights groups say it is inhumane and physically dangerous.

In the worst cases, victims can haemorrhage to death after they are cut, or die of infections.

Chronic pain, infertility and menstrual problems can also follow, as well as potentially fatal childbirth complications.

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Using data from 29 countries and going back to 1990, the report’s authors found that the biggest fall in cutting was in East Africa.

The prevalence rate there dropped from 71% of girls under 14 in 1995, to 8% in 2016, the study said.

Some countries with lower rates including Kenya and Tanzania, where 3-10% of girls endure FGM – helped drive down the overall figure.

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