According to Labe Gneble, head of the National Organisation for Women, Children and the Family (ONEF), genitalia removed from young girls during illegal circumcision ceremonies are used in various West African regions for rituals and dark magic.
In an interview with AFP, former witch doctor Moussa Diallo revealed that a ground-down clitoris could fetch up to $170 (152 euros), roughly equivalent to the minimum wage in Ivory Coast. Regional police chief Lieutenant N’Guessan Yosso confirmed that dried female genitalia, specifically the clitoris, remain “very sought after for mystical practices.”
Exclusive interviews with former faith healers, circumcisers, social workers, researchers, and NGOs have also verified that there is a market for female genitalia due to the supposed powers it is believed to bestow. Despite the ban on female genital mutilation (FGM) in Ivory Coast, this illicit trade continues to undermine efforts to eradicate the practice.
Reports from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) indicate that one in five women in Ivory Coast is still subjected to circumcision, with the figure rising to one in two in the northern regions of the country.
Female circumcision has been practised by various religions in West Africa for centuries, with many girls undergoing the procedure between childhood and adolescence. Many families view it as a rite of passage or a means to control and suppress female sexuality. The UN children’s agency UNICEF condemns the practice, describing it as a grave violation of girls’ fundamental rights.
In addition to causing severe physical and psychological pain, circumcision can be fatal, leading to sterility, birth complications, chronic infections, and bleeding, as well as the loss of sexual pleasure.
Former circumcisers who spoke to AFP insisted that clitorises removed from girls are typically buried, thrown into a river, or given to the parents, depending on local customs. However, one practitioner in the west of the country admitted that some are used for dark magic.
In Ivorian law, this trade is classified as “organ trafficking” and is punishable by fines and imprisonment, similar to the penalties for FGM.