Do more to protect girls from FGM rite

The world marks the International Day of Zero Tolerance to female genital mutilation (FGM) tomorrow.

FGM is a cultural rite of passage that initiates young girls into adulthood, paving way for their marriage and has transcended centuries. In Kenya, this cruel practice, with all its attendant risks, is practiced mostly among the Kuria, Maasai, Kisii, Pokot, Samburu, Saboat and the Somali communities.

Female circumcision was outlawed by the Government in 2011 but continues to be practised with the covert blessings of men, older women and even local leaders.

This is because the practice has seen girls as young as 15 years compelled to leave school and get into arranged or forced marriages. There are many health risks involved.

The Kenya Demographic and Household Survey Report 2014, shows that at least 9.3 million girls have undergone FGM. This represents 6.64 per cent of FGM cases, or 140 million women worldwide.

Celebrations to mark the day in Kenya will be held in Tot, Marakwet, a constituency that the Chairperson of the Anti-Female Genital Mutilation Board (AFGMB), Linah Kilimo, once represented in Parliament, and is notorious for perpetrating the outlawed practice.

The culture is so deeply entrenched; policemen sent to Marakwet to enforce the ban in December 2014 had to run after angry villagers chased them away. The AFGMB has so far achieved little, if anything.

The continuation of the practice despite the Government ban is a source of concern. Consequently, more needs to be done to ensure the practice is a thing of the past.

One way of doing this is to sensitise the public through concerted civic education. This is because orders to local administrators to arrest and charge those found promoting the practice, may not achieve much except breed resistance in what could be interpreted as unnecessary interference in a people’s culture.