Female genital mutilation (FGM) affects about half of the women in Muslim-majority Indonesia despite a government ban. Now, activists are turning to education to tackle the practice.
00:05This six-year-old girl is about to undergo female genital mutilation, or FGM.
00:11To protect her identity, we don't show her face.
00:15Nearly half of all women in Indonesia, including her mother,
00:19have experienced this procedure in some form.
00:24We do this to Islamize our child. It's our duty as parents.
00:28We must follow the teachings of the Prophet.
00:31A child is fully considered a Muslim after declaring her faith in Allah and undergoing circumcision.
00:38The family lives on a remote rice farm on the island of Sulawesi in the north of the archipelago.
00:44This is the knife the traditional healer, known as a sanro, has brought to conduct the procedure.
00:51In most cases, she cuts the clitoris of the girls, causing a small wound.
00:56Deeply rooted in tradition, FGM in Indonesia varies from island to island.
01:02Over the centuries, the practice has also been incorporated into Islam.
01:07In the capital Jakarta, there are even clinics that specialize in puncturing or scratching the clitoral hood with a small blade or needle.
01:18The government may prohibit it, but if a family is committed to following Islamic principles, how can we stop them?
01:26We can't. If parents request female circumcision for their daughters, we will provide it.
01:32It's their religious belief and their right.
01:36The Indonesian Midwives Association strongly opposes this view.
01:41Nurasia Jamil explains to her students how even the smallest scratches can carry viral and bacterial infections or cause medical complications.
01:51If you're circumcised, raise your hand.
01:55Jamil herself was circumcised at the age of six when her own grandmother scratched her genital area with a coin, leading to a serious infection.
02:06Being circumcised made me insecure about marriage. I was afraid of being judged.
02:13What we truly need is for the government to recognize that female circumcision is a form of violence.
02:20It should take a firm stance, making it clear that this practice has no benefits and only causes harm.
02:28Officially, Indonesia bans FGM. However, there are no legal consequences for those who perform it.
02:37One of the strongest advocates for the continuation of female circumcision is the Indonesian Cleric Association, MUI, the country's most influential Islamic authority.
02:50Female circumcision is considered a religious obligation,
02:57and it is preferable to perform it. While it does involve wounding, the question of harm remains debatable.
03:04To those who oppose the practice, we remind them that rejecting it contradicts religious teachings.
03:18Indonesia's Muslims are divided on the question.
03:22Nening Siahida belongs to a progressive, female-led religious scholars group.
03:28She argues that Islamic texts suggest FGM was practiced in some communities at the time of the Prophet, but there is no obligation to continue it today.
03:39Scientific and medical advancements can't be ignored, and we need to communicate this knowledge clearly.
03:48Female circumcision is not mentioned in the Quran.
03:51We hope to end harmful cases of female circumcision and educate people on the risks.
03:58Back on Sulawesi, the Sanro has completed the procedure with a small incision that draws blood.
04:06The girl is glad it's over.
04:08The ritual here is especially risky because animal blood is involved, carrying a high risk of infection.
04:17I've likely circumcised around a thousand people. If a girl is not circumcised, she'll become mischievous.
04:29What we do is cut a rooster's comb and collect the blood on a cotton swab.
04:34This blood is then applied to the knife that will be used to cut the child's genital area.
04:40This community in Aceh, Indonesia's most conservative province, proves that change can happen.
04:49Here, a mock procedure is conducted to satisfy cultural and religious expectations.
04:55A cloth soaked in an antiseptic is simply pressed against the genitals of this three-year-old.
05:01There's no injury and hence no medical risk.
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