WITH clear political goodwill, the war on Female Genital Mutilation can be won, Dennitah Ghati, the founder and chairperson of Education Centre for the Advancement of Women in Kuria has said. Speaking as the World celebrated the 10th anniversary of the International Day on Zero tolerance against FGM, Ghat said the war on the vice is being frustrated by lack of political goodwill. She said while efforts have been made in Africa and Kenya in particular to win the war, these efforts are still hampered by deep cultural traditions that still affect women and girls.
In October 2011, she said, President Kibaki showed his commitment to the protection of women and girls by signing the Anti FGM Bill into law. “Although the government’s passage of the Anti FGM law in 2011 is a move in the right direction, what is left now is to ensure full enforcement of these laws,” Ghati said. She called for increased sensitisation of the communities on the effects of FGM on the health of girls. “I am a strong believer in the laws of the land but laws alone are not enough. Sensitisation of the people and providing alternative incomes should also be sustained alongside the law,” she said.
