When Harm Is Disguised as Culture

I recently came across a woman confidently stating on an instagram comment section that female genital mutilation (FGM) helps curb promiscuity. What struck me most was not just the statement itself, but the fact that it was coming from a woman and it was confidently posted online. It made me pause. How do we get to a point where women begin to defend practices that harm them?

FGM is not culture. It is not protection. It is not morality. It is violence. It is a violation of a girl’s body, her autonomy, and her right to live without harm. Yet narratives like these continue to circulate, dressed up as tradition, discipline, or a way to "control" women's sexuality.

This is where the real danger lies.

1. When harmful practices are repeated often enough, they begin to sound normal.
2. When they are defended loudly enough, they begin to feel justified.
3. And when women themselves begin to echo these beliefs, the cycle becomes even harder to break.

This is how systems sustain themselves—not just through force, but through "belief".

In my work around Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), I have seen how deeply rooted some of these narratives are. Many women are not just victims of these systems they have also been conditioned to uphold them and spread the word, every chance they get . In this big 2026, i will never have thought that a woman can say this in public.

But we cannot afford to stay silent.

1. We must question.
2. We must challenge.
3. We must unlearn.

Because controlling a woman's body has never been about morality, it has always been about power.And no amount of cultural justification should make violence acceptable.

The internet is a powerful tool. It can educate, empower, and connect. But it can also reinforce harmful ideas if we do not actively challenge them.

So I ask you:

"How do we confront and correct dangerous narratives, especially when they come from within our own communities?"

Because the truth is, not everything that is normalized is right. And not everything that is defended deserves to be preserved.

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