Letters:
Letter to Government Officials:
Dear [ ]:
I am deeply concerned about the November 2010 Ministry of Health regulation which legitimizes the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) and authorizes medical professionals to perform it. “Medicalization” of FGM permits a procedure that is harmful to girls and women. It also violates the ethical code governing the professional conduct of doctors, nurses, midwives and other health care workers. Several efforts have been made to have this regulation overturned, but to no avail. I share the concerns of human rights groups on the ground that medicalization of any form of FGM legitimizes the practice thus rendering it impossible to stop the practice.
According to the World Health Organization, of which Indonesia is a member state, FGM refers to all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. The WHO has strongly urged health professionals not to practice any form of FGM. FGM is classified by the WHO into four major types:
Type I: Clitoridectomy: partial or total removal of the clitoris (a small, sensitive and erectile part of the female genitals that includes the glans of the clitoris) and, in very rare cases, only the prepuce (the fold of skin surrounding the clitoris).
Type II: Excision: partial or total removal of the clitoris and the labia minora, with or without excision of the labia majora (the labia are "the lips" that surround the vagina).
Type III: Infibulation: narrowing of the vaginal opening through the creation of a covering seal. The seal is formed by cutting and repositioning the inner, or outer, labia, with or without removal of the clitoris.
Type IV: Other: all other harmful procedures to the female genitalia for non-medical purposes, e.g. pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterizing the genital area.
FGM is a form of violence and discrimination against girls and women and is internationally recognized as a violation of their human rights. All forms of FGM violate a range of human rights of girls and women, including their right to sexual and bodily integrity, to non-discrimination, to protection from physical and mental violence and to the highest, attainable standard of health. FGM also constitutes cruel and degrading treatment of girls and women.
The Ministry of Health regulation runs counter to a number of Indonesian laws which include decrees enshrining international legal obligations such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT) in the national legal framework.
I would like to urge you to ensure that Indonesia lives up to its domestic and international obligations by taking the following steps:
- Repealing the 2010 Ministry of Health regulation legitimizing the practice of FGM
- Enacting and implementing comprehensive legislation banning FGM with strong penalties for violators
- Conducting public awareness-raising and education campaigns to change cultural perception and beliefs on FGM and acknowledging FGM as a human rights violation with harmful consequences
Yours sincerely,
Letter to Indonesian Medical groups (Ob/Gyns, Nurses and Midwives):
Dear [ ]:
I am deeply concerned about the November 2010 Ministry of Health regulation which legitimizes the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) and authorizes medical professionals to perform it. “Medicalization” of FGM permits a procedure that is harmful to girls and women. It is also a violation of the ethical code governing the professional conduct of Indonesian nurses, midwives, obstetricians and gynecologists and is contrary to the resolutions against FGM adopted by the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO), the International Council of Nurses (ICN) and the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) of which the health professional associations of Indonesia are members. Several efforts have been made to have this regulation overturned, but to no avail. I share in the concerns of human rights groups on the ground that medicalization of any form of FGM legitimizes the practice thus rendering it impossible to stop the practice.
According to the World Health Organization, of which Indonesia is a member state, FGM refers to all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. The WHO has strongly urged health professionals not to practice any form of FGM. FGM is classified by the WHO into four major types:
Type I: Clitoridectomy: partial or total removal of the clitoris (a small, sensitive and erectile part of the female genitals that includes the glans of the clitoris) and, in very rare cases, only the prepuce (the fold of skin surrounding the clitoris).
Type II: Excision: partial or total removal of the clitoris and the labia minora, with or without excision of the labia majora (the labia are "the lips" that surround the vagina).
Type III: Infibulation: narrowing of the vaginal opening through the creation of a covering seal. The seal is formed by cutting and repositioning the inner, or outer, labia, with or without removal of the clitoris.
Type IV: Other: all other harmful procedures to the female genitalia for non-medical purposes, e.g. pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterizing the genital area.
FGM is a form of violence and discrimination against girls and women and is internationally recognized as a violation of their human rights. All forms of FGM violate a range of human rights of girls and women, including their right to sexual and bodily integrity, to non-discrimination, to protection from physical and mental violence and to the highest, attainable standard of health. FGM also constitutes cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of girls and women.
The Ministry of Health regulation runs counter to a number of Indonesian laws which include decrees enshrining international legal obligations such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT) in the national legal framework.
I urge your professional association to live up to its international obligations by:
- Publicly condemning FGM in all its forms and its medicalization
- Ensuring that strong measures are put into place to discipline health professional members of the association who practice FGM
- Urging the government to repeal the 2010 regulation legitimizing the practice and working with them towards enactment of a law banning FGM and promotion of a comprehensive strategy and public education against the practice.
Yours sincerely,
