Maasai women who reject FMG are refused to be married in Tanzania

Lozwi Longinai was preparing for her wedding day last month in northern Lingate village, but at the last minute her groom changed his mind after realising that his 18-year-old fiancée had not been circumcised.

"This is very bad. We are being rejected by our own society because we have refused to be circumcised," Longinai complained.

While female genital mutilation (FGM) is on the decline in Tanzania, the practice remains widespread in some rural areas, and in Maasai communities like Lingate in the northern Arusha region, dozens of women are being turned away in marriage because they have refused to be cut,Despite efforts to end the practice, some Maasai tribal elders embrace the tradition and want their daughters circumcised. Most of the people suggest that the practice must be eliminated as it denies women the right to enjoy life and make appropriate decisions on their lives.FGM - the cutting or total removal of the clitoris and other vaginal tissue - is often done in Tanzania using unclean knives or blades. Side effects of FGM include excruciating pain, urinary tract infections and even death.