@leadingladiesafrica: In Somalia, a lawmaker is standing in parliament defending female genital mutilation, arguing that cutting a woman’s clitoris benefits men and somehow keeps women looking younger. And honestly, what is there to say to this? How do you listen to a man discuss the mutilation of women’s bodies as though he is talking about a beauty routine? How does male pleasure become a justification for subjecting women and girls to a practice that can leave them with lifelong physical and psychological trauma? What makes this even more infuriating is that these remarks came during a parliamentary debate on a bill to ban FGM. While efforts are being made to protect women and girls from this harmful practice, a lawmaker is using his platform to defend it, centring what men supposedly gain from it and how women supposedly look afterwards. A woman’s body is not a public project for men to redesign. Her clitoris is not there for a man to decide whether it should exist. And her worth, beauty or desirability has absolutely nothing to do with how much of her body is left intact. It is disturbing how easily women’s pain is pushed aside when their bodies are viewed primarily through the lens of male pleasure. Even more disturbing is that this attitude can find a voice in the very institutions responsible for making laws that affect women’s lives. Women and girls deserve so much more than a world where their suffering can be debated, defended and dismissed by the people who are supposed to represent them. Video Credit: Bakayle Media #LeadingLadiesAfrica #EndFGM #WomensRights #BodilyAutonomy

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Tuesday 20 October 2026 06:32:02 GMT