My name is Zamzam Hassan. I am a 29 year-old Somali woman born and raised in Garissa County in northeastern Kenya, 367kms from the capital, Nairobi. Garissa has one of the highest rates of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in the world at 82.5%.
I went through FGM at the age of 7. My mother took me. She grew up as an orphan and migrated from Somalia during the war, and didn’t know any better at the time.
The cut was done to me in a neighbour’s house with around six other girls. As a child I didn’t understand the level of violation that had been done to me, I saw it as normal. I saw it happen to my sister and other girls in the neighborhood as I grew up.
When I was in secondary school, I used to have excruciating pain when I menstruated. I didn’t know the cause until the school nurse at the health centre said to me: “I know you come from a community with high prevalence of FGM and maybe this could be linked to it.” She explained that bad menstrual pain can be related to severe forms of FGM.
It was later in my early university years that I started volunteering on FGM campaigns and came to realise that other communities did not cut their girls. It was not normal. At that stage I had a heartfelt conversation with my mother. I told her that I had become informed about FGM and its violations. I told her it’s not necessary to put other girls, including my sisters, through it. She gladly accepted this. It was a healing moment for both me and her.
My mum said, “I didn’t know any better. I was new to the country, and you were my first daughter.” She had two boys before me.
I changed my mother’s mindset. My youngest sister has not gone through the cut, and neither have my two nieces. Knowing that this small change has happened in my family unit, knowing the great impact it might have on my generation, and also seeing change in communities is a huge inspiration for me.
The Somali community I come from have deeply entrenched cultural norms, fueled by patriarchy and gender inequality. A boys’ education would be prioritised over girls. Women and girls rarely exercise their rights and powers.
As a young woman, speaking out on violence against women and girls within my community came with challenges. People would reach out to my father and say, “Do you see what your daughter is doing? Bringing in Western ideology.”
They would say to me: “What is your problem? You’ve been cut. You’re still against it. What do you want to change now? Are you sitting at home? Are you disabled? What are you fighting for now? Why do you want to interfere with the culture? Your bachelors degree in economics should be utilized to empower our communities economically, not chasing after women affairs.”
They didn’t realise the secondary consequences that come with FGM, the scar which is not visible.
Just being in that space as a woman, as a Somali woman, unmarried, was quite a challenge at that time. Having the stigma and backlash from the community looked like an uphill task.
But I see the light at the end of the tunnel. I feel that we have made significant progress in anti-FGM campaigns and men are becoming allies and supporters in solidarity with us. They try to convert elders with strong opinions.
Currently, I am the Programme Coordinator for The Girl Generation Programme, a UK Aid-funded initiative focused solely on the fight against FGM in Garissa and Isiolo counties. This is more than a job to me. This is a personal journey. It’s something I do so that no other girl has to go through what I went through.
With ActionAid Kenya, I also support the Women’s Rights Programme implemented in Kishushe, Taita Taveta and Kamuthe in hard-to-reach areas in Garissa County where women who are marginalised. The Irish Aid-funded Women’s Rights Programme goal is for gender justice at all levels of society, and that women live in safety with economic security and resilience.
According to the Kenya Demographic Health Report FGM prevalence in Garissa reduced from 94% in 2014 to 83% in 2022. This 11% decrease is due to investment in anti FGM programmes.
With more people speaking out about against FGM, girls are becoming more empowered and are getting more confident. FGM is not just a Gender Based Violence issue, it is a human rights violation deeply rooted in patriarchy, in gender inequality, in problematic social norms and behaviours among the community.
If there is no FGM, we will have girls able to realise their dreams. I feel hope, energy and strength to continue doing the work, knowing it makes a difference daily.
