“We must end this ancient invisibility of sex, which contributes so much to the incest, rape and inferiority of girls”
Open and very critical of the international community for its silence. Here’s how French journalist Dominique Sigeau approaches all kinds the violence of millions of minors suffer daily in the world. And this Tuesday, on the occasion of the Day of the Girl, he gives a speech at the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid to condemn these atrocities.
The meeting is a joint action of the non-governmental organizations Entreculturas, Mundo Cooperante and Save The Children, and in it Sigo will present his book The curse of being a girl. Published in France in 2019, where it received the Book and Human Rights Award, it was recently translated into Spanish and edited by Loyola Communication Group. In this new edition, the author devotes a chapter to Spain and highlights the “progress made over several years in protection against sexist violence”.
On the eve of her conference, the author spoke with 20 minutes of this fragment, of the rest of the work, and of the dramatic situation in which so many little girls live: “This is something that affects all civilizations, cultures, religions and social classes. And that’s all the more terrible because is accompanied by statements justifying it“.
What made you write this book? Why did you decide it was necessary?I was a kid and I paid the price for it. He had a brother who wasn’t incest or raped, wasn’t pregnant in his 20s, was abused by his father, and wasn’t punished for sex. He had the right to drive the family car, go out dancing, have freedom of movement. I suppose this is the deeper reason, but I also met a girl in Marseilles, originally from the Comoros Islands, who told me that her aunt underwent genital mutilation after marrying at her husband’s decision. This had happened in France. Several years ago. The authorities knew this and did not intervene to save “social peace”. Later I went to a Gynecology Without Borders meeting where I learned that genitals that are cut are sewn up, always raw! Why so much cruelty? I also discovered another violence against girls: that it is a global problem and that there is no international study on it. I thought I had to do something. I couldn’t keep quiet.
How did you find out the stories you talk about?I went to some countries, met girls, associations, read books, documents, gave interviews…
Is there a testimony that particularly moved you?The hardest thing for me so far is knowing that thousands of girls are killed every year at birth without a single word of condemnation from the international community. This is an absolute scandal. And I think that’s a very serious symptom of the way the world views girls. Not one word from UNESCO or UNICEF or UN Women on this matter!
Do the crimes you describe usually go unpunished?All go unpunished. This is the second scandal. There is no law on violence against girls. You can kill them, cut off their clitoris, offer them to old husbands, rape them, put them in a brothel… There will be no law. Because they are girls.
The psychological effects these crimes leave on the victims are very serious. Do they get help afterwards to move on?Of course, the psychological effects of mutilation, child marriage, incest, etc. are very serious. The entire identity of these girls is under attack, sexual, physical, psychological. They learn that people don’t care if they suffer. Girls who manage to escape are often helped. Some adults take care of them and protect them. It is very important to create sanctuaries for them all over the world.
Why do you think it is so difficult for the international community to act against this problem?Because it is a very old global system that structures our world. A girl is nothing. There are millions and millions around the world. It will be very difficult to change this point of view. Will you force him to be replaced in Saudi Arabia, USA, India, Pakistan, UK, France? No, these countries are too current. They will never be told that they need to change their behavior.
The hardest thing for me so far is knowing that thousands of girls are killed every year at birth without a single word of condemnation from the international community.
What attitude does society take? And do you look the other way or are you aware of the drama?Things are changing. There are girls who change, and also parents, teachers, brothers. There are many good NGOs working on this. It’s very important.
Both political and social, what measures should be taken to eradicate these atrocities?First, there must be international and serious research into feticide, genocide… all atrocities. And then show the results. Organize an international conference on incest, infanticide and mutilation. Not a UN conference, but a conference with the girls themselves and creating a concrete international verdict for this violence.
He confirms that especially since 2016, after the case of La Manada, Spain has become one of the most advanced countries in the fight against sexual and gender-based violence. However, laws such as “if only yes” or “Rhodes law” were born amid much controversy. Are you concerned about the rise of discourses that deny sexist violence or that oppose the provision of sex education in schools?Of course, many people do not want anything to change, and these people are dangerous. It always happened. We need clear and deep sex education. Sexual identity and sexual safety are important. They make up most of our freedom and deep connections between us. But they are fragile and it is not so easy. We need to impart knowledge and rules for safe sexual freedom. Then the young adults will have a life of their own. We must put an end to this old and false invisibility of sex, which contributes so much to the incest, rape and inferiority of girls.
This is a very difficult book. Was it hard to write it?Yes, it was hard to discover these realities and be somehow responsible for showing them. But I was helped by the girls and women I met who needed and wanted me to tell what was happening to them. When I finished the book, I thought, “I’ve created a monster.” And for several weeks I refused to read it, it was impossible. But in the end I realized that I didn’t create the monster, I only showed it.
It was published in France in 2019. What impact has it had since then?It really had no impact, but many people began to read it slowly and quietly. They discovered reality and changed their minds. This is perhaps the most important.
During those three years, how did the situation you describe develop? And the attitude of both the international community and society?Although very slowly, I think something is changing. Look at what is happening in Iran or Afghanistan. This is one of the most important questions for the coming years.
He commented that the new generations are trying to become more and more visible. Are you optimistic about the future?Yes and no. I know girls, boys, women and some men will fight. But I am absolutely sure that the reaction will be violent. Many men will steadfastly refuse to allow the system to change because they identify with it. Girls, women, mothers, you will have to be very brave. I think it will be very difficult and that we need to create a “counter-power”. We need to go to the schools and talk. I negotiated with five large left-wing French cities, proposing to introduce a simple but global prevention policy. In the end, they all refused.
