Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is officially banned in Indonesia, but specialist clinics and traditional healers continue to carry it out despite the ban. Still, there is a reason for hope in conservative Aceh province.
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00:00This girl is about to undergo female genital mutilation, or FGM.
00:05We're blurring her face to protect her identity.
00:07Nearly half of all women in Indonesia, including this girl's mother,
00:11have experienced this procedure in some form.
00:14FGM is illegal in the Southeast Asian country.
00:17So why does a painful and dangerous practice persist?
00:20And can anything be done to minimise the harm to young girls?
00:30The traditional healer, known as a sanro, will use this special knife to conduct the procedure.
00:43She cuts the clitoris of the girl, causing a small wound.
00:47The practice is deeply rooted in Indonesian tradition.
00:52It varies from island to island.
00:55Here on a remote part of Sulawesi island,
00:57one step of the ritual is particularly risky.
01:01Animal blood is involved.
01:04This carries higher risks of viral and bacterial infections.
01:28Over the centuries in Indonesia, the cultural practice has been incorporated into Islam.
01:37Today in capital Jakarta,
01:39there are even clinics that specialise in puncturing or scratching the clitoral hood.
01:58While FGM is banned in Indonesia,
02:01there are no legal consequences for those who perform it.
02:04One of the strongest advocates for the continuation of female circumcision
02:08is the Indonesian Cleric Association, MUI,
02:11the country's most influential Islamic authority.
02:28The Indonesian Midwives Association strongly opposes this view.
02:51Nusraizia Jamil explains to her students how even the mildest scratches
02:56can carry viral and bacterial infections or cause medical complications.
03:04Jamil herself was circumcised at the age of six,
03:08when her own grandmother scratched her genital area with a coin,
03:11leading to a serious infection.
03:26Indonesia's Muslims are divided on the question.
03:39This Islamic teacher belongs to a progressive female-led group of religious scholars.
03:44She argues that Islamic texts suggest FGM was practised in some communities historically,
03:50but there's no obligation to continue it today.
03:57Back on Sulawesi, the Samro has completed the procedure and it's time for the girl to recover.
04:19But there are signs of change elsewhere.
04:21In this community in Aceh, among Indonesia's most conservative provinces,
04:26a mock procedure is conducted to satisfy cultural and religious expectations.
04:31A cloth soaked in antiseptic is applied instead of a knife being used.
04:37There is no injury and no medical risk.
04:40Back home, a new set of rollerblades is waiting and they can now be tested immediately.
04:56you