This December let us be on high alert to end FGM!

Kenya as a country is at a very significant phase in the social change process to end Female Genital Mutilation. It is still in different parts of Kenya that we have various communities who still practice the act of FGM in silence. This makes the fight to end FGM far from over. Luckily for us as a nation, we have existing legislation- The Anti-FGM Law of 2011. This means that the practice of FGM has been declared criminal in the republic of Kenya.

We must first understand why communities practice FGM. It is their cultural and social norm which makes this practice sacred to the ways of life and acceptance to be part of these communities. This marks one of the biggest setbacks in fighting FGM- but the fight must be won. One of the best approaches to make these communities stop and publicly declare no to FGM is to enlighten them on the effects it has on the lives of women and girls. Studies have shown that in many communities that practice FGM, men do not know the effects it causes during childbirth and on the sexual and reproductive health of women yet they are the ones who enforce the practice of this barbaric act.