Parents and guardians are the weakest links in the fight against FGM and early marriages in Tana River County, officials have said.
Tana River and Garissa are among the 22 counties with the highest prevalence of FGM.
The main tribes are the Munyaya, Wailuana, Wardhei, Orma and the Pokomo.
Several speakers who included government officials from the National and County, clerics human rights activists and elders pointed an accusing finger at irresponsible parenthood, especially mothers who were at the forefront in aiding the practices.
Bangale Deputy County Commissioner Joseph Kipkorir regretted that for far too long parents and guardians have been the ones frustrating the fight against FGM.
He was speaking Madogo during the Occasion to mark the International Day for the girls in Tana River that was organized by the Anti-FGM board.
He gave a recent incident where security officers hurriedly moved to arrest a culprit who had married off an underage girl, only for the girl and her parents to gang up and try to resist arrest.
“Upon interrogation, we discovered that the girl had an Identification card. This is despite the fact that she looked extremely young. which means that her parents helped her get one so that they could marry her off early. She also disclosed that she had undergone FGM,” he said.
Tana River Deputy Governor Mahad Loka said that FGM and early marriage will be difficult to contain as long as parents and guardians who are charged with the responsibility of taking care of the children still encourage retrogressive cultural practices.
Loka while acknowledging that some progress had been made in tackling the vice emphasized the need to bring everyone on board if the fight is to be completely won.
“It is unfortunate that we still have individuals who are still holding on to these retrogressive cultural practices. They have completely refused to embrace change and move with time. My appeal today is please, let us inflict pain and suffering on our girls and ruin their lives in the name of no apparent reason,” he said.
He added:
“It is good to be honest with each other and face the facts as they are. This issue of people saying that religion allows them to justify their actions is misplaced. That is why as a county we will continue working closely with the National government in not only ensuring that those abating this harmful practice are arrested but are also charged in court."
Loka who also read Governor Dhadho Godhana’s speech said that the county has put in place all measures and is in liaise with partner agencies to ensure that girls are protected, safeguarded and have access to basic needs to enable them to acquire education in a friendly environment free from all other barriers.
Diana Kamande, a director at the Anti-FGM Board, said that the Kenya Kwanza Government has prioritized the elimination of FGM in Kenya in its Plan under the Women Agenda point four which reads "Increase funding for the Anti-Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) Board and fully implement the Anti-FGM law".
Kamande who read the speech on behalf of the Anti-FGM Board CEO Bernadette Loloju said that there need to bring men on board to change men's domination into constructive power with other community members to improve the conditions of women's and girls' lives.
He said engaging men also creates space to confront patriarchy - the root cause of gender inequalities and negative.
During the event, Zeitun Nabia Garso, a form 3, student at MauMau Memorial girls' secondary school moved those who attended to near tears.
This is after she narrates the many challenges the girl child from the area is subjected to right from when she is born until when she becomes an adult.
She said that while It is encouraging to see society embracing the girl child and trying by all means to see that they are all comfortable and chasing their dreams there was still a long way to go to completely overcome the challenges.
She said despite efforts to curb FGM, the vice has been normalized in the community noting that girls are socialized into believing they must undergo the procedure.
“This then triggers young girls as early as eleven years old to be sexually active and married off as they are perceived as women. This is one of the factors leading to teenage pregnancies. In some cases, girls can bleed to death or die from infections. It can also lead to fatal childbirth complications,” she noted.
She added:
“Educating a girl is educating an entire society. Let's join hands and empower the girl child in every way possible. Let's break barriers and build futures. Our time is now. Our rights, our future. To all who make strides to protect and support the girl child. thank you so much and may God bless you all. Our future is bright because of people like you. We are going to make the world a better place,” she summed up.
During the meeting, Economic factors such as poverty and lack of school fees were also cited as having contributed significantly to girls' school dropout.
It also emerged that many families still consider only their sons as breadwinners of their own future families and supporters of their aging parents.
