Perpetrators of FGM changing tact

As far as Gladys Bartinei – a resident of Elang’ata – is concerned, many Kenyans, including rural residents, have basic understanding of what the law demands. However, the sheer distance between law enforcement and villagers provides a void that allows for continued flouting of the rules.

That FGM is a crime barely confounds anyone.

“Everybody knows that the cut was declared illegal,” says Gladys . “The girls who still undergo circumcision are victims of entrenched traditions.”

To avoid the law, circumcisers have changed tact in this remote village of Kajiado. It turns out that FGM is still rife and being practised – but in the darkness of night. Previously, the ceremony was conducted in broad daylight.

“The ceremony is conducted covertly and only talked about in hushed tones,” points out Julius Rotiken, one among few men in the area who have come out openly to fight the vice.

It is a staunch contrast to what used to happen in days gone by. According to Julius, circumcision was a revered practice.

The celebrations and merriment  that accompanied the procedure ensured that every villager was enjoined in a girl’s transition to womanhood.

Many, therefore, see the nocturnal activities of today’s circumcisers as a ploy to evade justice.

Julius further adds that single candidates, instead of age sets, are taken through the practice – further depicting cowardice in upholding FGM.

Early in July 2014, a sizeable number of women in Kajiado took to the streets to demonstrate against what they perceived as an onslaught against a practice entrenched in their culture, saying it is part of the community’s identity.

The protest served to show that a lot needs to be done to stop the cut.

Gladys and other residents of the area are, however, optimistic that FGM will eventually die out if lobbying against the practice intensifies.

She knows that change is a constant; having decided against subjecting her last born daughter, Tecla Ropian, to the practice. But before she could cast FGM by the wayside, Gladys initiated her elder daughters as culture dictated, something she now regrets.