By Norah Musega
Migori County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Education Dr. Betty Samburu has called for support to fight the Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) menace in the region in accordance with the law and the government’s initiative to phase out the practice in the country.
She noted that FGM is illegal as it infringes on the rights of women and is considered as one of the ways in which young girls are assaulted and in turn affects their education as most of them tend to drop out of school and married off at their tender age.
Her sentiments come at a time that the fight for FGM has intensified in Migori County as stakeholders move in to tackle the vice amidst December cutting festivals among the four Kuria clans.
“It is clear that all necessary measures have been put in place by the national government to ensure the cultural practice is curbed in the country and especially in the Kuria region of Migori County. Therefore I wish to urge those practicing it to avoid going against the government initiative as those found culpable will be arrested arraigned in court,” she noted, adding that several rescuing centers have opened their doors for girls evading the cut.
Stakeholders led by Kuria West sub county commissioner Andrew Mwiti said that they are ready to seal all the loopholes that may expose the young girls to the practice.
He said that the vice has a lot of health implications that endanger the lives of the girls who live in fear of being cut due to the penetrable border points where they are sneaked into Tanzania by elders to undergo the cuts.
“All systems have been put in place to ensure that the perpetrators of the retrogressive cultural practice are brought to book and all the National Government Administration Officers [NGAO] will perform their duties effectively to ensure that they bring the practice to an end,” he said.
Anti-FGM activist, Nurse Catherine Chacha Meng’anyi said that there is medicalization of the FGM where some medical officers are alleged to be used by the perpetrators to conduct the practice on women and girls during delivery without their knowledge.
She warned the medical officers that they risk being jailed if found.
Mahnaz Harrison, Chief Executive Officer of the 4D LASTMILE said that efforts have been put in place to ensure that the perpetrators are deterred from conducting the vice that has derailed many girls into achieving their future dreams.
She added that the Government has put in place laws and regulations that will help in the implementation of the children’s rights.
“As an organization, we are in the best position to make sure that we help the administrators and the government at large to ensure that they work closely to protect young Kuria girls during the long December holiday.” She said
