3L: Examining Female Genital Mutilation in Indonesia through a Tanzanian Lens

Abstract

Female circumcision ignites political controversy within societies as some activists assert that the cutting violates the human rights of children due to lack of consent involved as well as the physical torture imparted by cutting. Others cite their protected religious and cultural freedoms as a means of legitimizing the practice.

This presentation will present a comparative case study that evaluates the effectiveness of anti-FGM legislation in Tanzania and how similar methods to outlaw FGM might be implemented in Indonesia. Specifically, I argue Tanzania’s age restriction around performing FGM is an effective tool to decrease the number of non-consenting girls who receive the procedure.

With nearly one in two girls undergoing FGM in Indonesia, the Indonesian government declined to fully outlaw FGM following the disapproval of religious leaders. However, the Indonesian government has not attempted to place an age restriction on the procedure. The findings of the case study will be used to suggest whether Indonesia should consider implementing an age restriction on undergoing female circumcision.