• Ten girls were subjected to the cut over the weekend, 500 already cut since schools closed in mid-March. Girls in danger since school closed.
• Many girls who had escaped the cut in previous years are at risk since schools are closed and they are back home and vulnerable.
Girls in West Pokot county are in increasing danger of being subjected to FGM since schools are closed due to Covid-19 and they are back home, unprotected.
More than 500 girls already have been mutilated since schools closed in mid-March. Ten more girls were cut last weekend in Sigor in Central Pokot subcounty.
NGOs fighting against FGM in the county have expressed fears many more girls will suffer in the six months until schools reopen in January.
Led by I-Rep (I Am Responsible) project coordinator Domtillah Chesang, they said many parents had taken advantage of the Covid-19 outbreak to subject their daughters to FGM in secret. Then the girls are married off in secret to older men.
She expressed fears the number of victims will increase at an alarming rate since schools won’t reopen for six months until January.
She asked the government, especially chiefs, to be on the alert to ensure no girl is subjected to the cut or married off.
Many who had escaped the cut during previous years are at high risk now that they are back home.
“There is life after Covid-19 declines, let’s stop denying girls their right to education and a decent life. Let’s respect the rights of girls, parents should respect their rights too.”
She asked residents to be vigilant and report any plans to cut girls or cuttings that have taken place.
Many parents know FGM is illegal so the practice has gone underground.
“Many other parents fear subjecting their girls to the cut after some parents and circumcisers were arrested and prosecuted,” she said.
Chesang also blamed parents for failing to explain sex and reproduction to their children, and as a result many girls get pregnant at an early age.
“Parents should be vigilant and know the whereabouts of their girls. West Pokot has one of the highest rates of teen pregnancy,” she said.
The activist urged the government to trace all girls who fail to report to school when classes resume.
(Edited by V. Graham)