Is the battle against female circumcision being won?
Although not all areas have accepted this alternative ceremony, the changes are significant and encouraging: • female circumcision was not a subject people talked about, but villagers who have undergone the educational program discuss openly the merits and demerits of the practice, the issue has become a public debate • an impressive number of former circumcisers have denounced their profession and are now strong community educators • girls have started to write to PATH and FPAK, asking for assistance because they have decided, against family pressure, not to undergo the operation • women have formed groups, and role models publicly declare they are not circumcised, while health worker discuss it with patients in public meetings • the use of slang among young men shows a change in attitudes: an uncircumcised girl is referred to as a manyanga ( Swahili for young, new), while a circumcised one is nicknamed mitumba (second hand, or used) • for the first time in churches, preachers are tal
