Addressing the Challenge of Eliminating Female Genital Mutilation in Regions
Jakarta – The practice of cutting or injuring female genitalia, commonly referred to as female genital mutilation (FGM), remains a significant public health concern and child rights issue in Indonesia.
Although the practice is medically prohibited due to lack of medical indication and risks to reproductive organs, this longstanding tradition continues to be practised by communities across various remote regions.
“There are indeed pockets of areas in Indonesia where FGM is still relatively common,” according to healthcare experts consulted on the matter.
The government, through the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes RI), has blocked formal medical channels by issuing strict regulations prohibiting medical professionals from performing the procedure. However, the implementation of this ban on the ground often clashes sharply with the persistent demand from residents who firmly uphold local traditional beliefs.
According to Dr Imran, the prohibition on healthcare professionals providing FGM services has created a distinct dilemma at the grassroots level. Midwives and nurses working in regional health facilities frequently find themselves in an impossible position when residents approach them and insist on having the procedure performed on their daughters.
When medical facilities refuse, Dr Imran explained that residents do not give up and instead turn to unsafe alternative practitioners far removed from safety standards. “Healthcare workers in those areas are put in an impossible position. If they refuse, the parents will take the child to unqualified practitioners. These unlicensed practitioners will then perform unsafe circumcision procedures,” he stated.
“This can result in infection or greater complications. As long as demand exists, supply will continue to exist. What needs to be addressed is the demand itself. Otherwise, healthcare workers remain trapped in this dilemma,” Dr Imran clarified.
The high prevalence of FGM in several regions demonstrates that state intervention is insufficient if it only targets health facilities. The Ministry of Health recognises the need for more systematic and substantial pressure to gradually change community attitudes.
One approach being developed includes establishing reward or incentive schemes for regional governments that successfully reduce FGM cases in their jurisdictions.