From: barnhart@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Mr. Aaron Barnhart)
Subject: IPS:TANZANIA: STRUGGLE TO END WOMEN CIRCUMCISION AN UPHILL TASK
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1992 22:11:03 GMT
Organization: Evanston, Illinois, U.S.A.

Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Area: Opecna Morning Transmission
Reference: Women
Title: TANZANIA: STRUGGLE TO END WOMEN CIRCUMCISION AN UPHILL TASK


an inter press service feature

by alakok mayombo

ntyuka, tanzania, dec 22 (ips) -- the struggle to end female
circumcision in tanzania is proving an uphill battle confronted
by a traditional belief that the practice is medically
beneficial.

mothers circumcise their daughters for fear of ''lawalawa''
disease. its apparent symptoms are believed to be genital
discharge, rashes and inflamation.

daughters with such symptoms must be circumcised or they will
die, mothers of the affected girls are told by exponents of
female circumcision in ntyuka village, central tanzania, 500km
west of the capital dar es salaam.

circumcision is the only cure for the ''lawalawa'', the
mothers are warned.

''i have been told by these believers that failing to
circumcise my daugther, she will die'', says mahone matonya, a
mother of five girls here.

although there are many cases where mothers complain about
their daughters suffering from ''lawalawa'', medical doctors say
the ''disease'' does not exist.

what the doctors find when they examine the girls are cases
of bilharzia and sexually transmitted diseases, dr kibibi kingu
of the dodoma provincial hospital in central tanzania, told ips.

''i have been receiving such cases which are very prominent
in dodoma (tanzania's future capital''), says kingu.

a semi-arid area, dodoma suffers from a perennial water
problem, and, according to kingu, developing rashes around
private parts is a common phenomenon.

female circumcision is partial or complete removal of the
female clitoris. there are three forms of female genital
mutilation practiced is several communities around the world.

these are the sunna which removes the skin covering the
clitoris, the excision which removes the entire clitoris and
infibulation where the clitoris and the inner labia minora and
majora are removed. (more/ips)


tanzania: struggle (2)

dodoma women use excision, believing that by circumcision, a
girl becomes a faithful wife -- a belief educated women
discount, saying circumcision has nothing to do with a wife's
fidelity.

mwenda madinda, a woman activist says the wagogo women (who
live in central tanzania) believe any uncircumcised woman can
injure a man's penis since during sexual intercourse her
clitoris hardens.

''i have spent most of my time educating women of my tribe to
abandon this outdated tradition but the majority find it
difficult to do away with it'', madinda told ips.

negative effects of circumcision include high mortality and
morbidity, tetanus, profuse bleeding and may contribute to the
spread of the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (aids) through
unhygienic operations.

according to the inter-african committee on traditional
practices affecting health of women and children, female
circumcision is practised in 26 african countries and affects
more than 75 million children and women in the continent.

''the operation of cutting the clitoris is like cutting a
penis and thus a girl can even get shock and will never enjoy sex
in her life'', says kingu.

apart from causing extensive scarring, circumcision can
reduce the vaginal opening, causing it to lose its elasticity,
kingu adds.

''for any expectant mother who is circumcised once she comes
to the labour ward we have to cut open her vaginal opening to
allow the baby to come out freely. otherwise the mother and the
baby can die'', she says.

kingu says surgical repair of such complications is possible
but it is delicate and that usually 20 percent of patients
remain with the problems for the rest of their lives, even after
surgery.

''to succeed in educating the people to abandon this age-old
tradition, one must be frank to tell them (women) about the
negative effects of this practice'', says mary ndahani of
central tanganyika diocese of the anglican church in dodoma.

ndahani, who has been organising seminars on female
circumcision in this future capital, says although the
government condemns female circumcision, it has not followed
this up with a law to punish the culprits.
(end/ips/am/apc/oa/92)

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