The leadership shown by the UK government – and in particular the Liberal Democrats and Lynne Featherstone MP – on ending female genital cutting or mutilation (FGC/M) in a generation has been ground breaking and inspiring. The upcoming Girl Summit is a timely opportunity, hot on the heels of the recent Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict, to promote girls’ and women’s rights to live free from violence and discrimination and achieve their potential.
There’s no doubt that ending child, early and forced marriage and female genital cutting/mutilation for all girls will contribute to efforts to address gender inequity, promote sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and tackle the global HIV epidemic. Take Bangladesh for example which has one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world. Two in three girls marry before the legal age of marriage, which is 18 for girls, and one in three start childbearing before the age of 20. Many parents actively push their daughters into early marriage to avoid stains on the family honour by pre-marital sexual activity. Marrying at a young age and early sexual contact put girls at higher risk of sexual health problems, including HIV which remains the leading cause of death of women of reproductive age around the world.
When it comes to FGC/M, there are clear risk factors between this egregious practice and HIV. After the “surgery”, the girls are often stitched so tightly that first sex is traumatic, often forced, resulting in the loss of blood, in addition to the usual bodily fluids, which increases the likelihood of transmission of sexually transmitted infections including HIV. HIV aside, FGC/M also has other negative sexual and reproductive health implications, including infections resulting from the cutting, and trauma and complications during childbirth.
Empowering young people with the necessary knowledge to understand and be able to advocate for and realise their rights is just one of many critical elements in the fight against early and forced marriage and FGC/M. Many young people around the world do not have access to adequate information about their right to protection from these practices and their sexual and reproductive health rights because of strong social and cultural taboos. With young people aged 15-24 now accounting for 40% of new HIV infections, ensuring access to integrated youth-friendly HIV and family planning services and information is critical.
The Girl Summit will help to deepen the dialogue between affected communities, civil society organisations, governments, faith leaders and the private sector and accelerate efforts to stamp out FGC/M and early and forced marriage. Whatever the outcomes, it will also play a part in helping to change the direction of the global HIV epidemic and so has our wholehearted support.
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* Helen Parry is the Senior Adviser on Sexual and Reproductive Health for The International HIV/AIDS Alliance which s a unique alliance of national civil society organisations dedicated to ending AIDS through community action. The Alliance works on HIV, health and human rights through local, national and global action with communities in over 40 countries on four continents. It is also a member of Girls Not Brides, a global partnership of more than 300 civil society organisations from over 50 countries committed to ending child marriage.