Kenyan Girl Rails Against Her Circumcision

In Fouzia's case, her father — an Eldoret businessman — was opposed to having his daughters circumcised. It was only while he was away on a business trip that her mother called in the local circumciser and had Fouzia and her younger sister Fardhosa circumcised.

For Fouzia's mother, Fatuma, a Somali immigrant, circumcision was a matter of following tradition, ensuring her daughters' marriage prospects, and adhering — she wrongly believed — to her religion.

Her views were vociferously denounced by her little daughter, who convincingly — and correctly — argued that the practice has never been sanctioned by Islam and several imams (priests) around the world have publicly denounced the custom.

For her transgression against her religion, little Fouzia cleverly argued, she would not forgive her mother unless she promised not to circumcise her youngest sister, 2-year-old Fartun.

Her mother complied.

Today, Fatuma is a changed woman. "When I heard the poem, I regretted that I did that," she told ABCNEWS.com during a phone interview. "She [Fouzia] has forgiven me now. But on the Day of Judgment, I don't know if God will forgive me."

The ‘Soft’ Approach

For Mohamed, a Somali immigrant who deals with the health complications arising from FGM every day at her clinic, Fatuma's about-face is proof of the long-term effectiveness of what she calls "the soft approach" in the fight against FGM.

"I don't hate them for what they are," she said, referring to circumcisers and parents who have their daughters circumcised. "I just hate their actions. I don't feel it's a good way to bring in the police, to go to court. What will happen to the girls at home? How will they be treated?"

It's not just African and Middle Eastern governments that have to negotiate a policy balance between criminalizing the practice and investing in anti-FGM public awareness campaigns. Today, a growing number of Western countries — destinations for immigrants from countries that practice FGM — also have to confront the issue.

And by all accounts, countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and several European nations have a tricky set of challenges to overcome.

Although FGM is banned in many large Western countries, experts say Western governments have had virtually no success in prosecuting in any case of female circumcision occurring within their borders, despite occasional reports that a circumcision was about to happen in a community.

The failure, experts say, could be due to a variety of reasons, from unsubstantiated reports and rumors reaching the authorities, to silence among immigrant groups.