Wachana na tamu yetu! GBV activists demand zero tolerance for FGM

Activists from Enchoro-Emuny in Ngong Kajiado County on Tuesday held a peaceful protest to mark the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation.

The International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM is observed annually on February 6.

YALI alumni Jackline Saleiyan said the FGM practice is a violation of human and children's rights.

"As we speak, we are not only grappling with the issue of past practice but more so with the emerging trends that are being used to perpetrate it. Since adolescent girls and young women have access to education and are seen as “rebelling”, the practice is now devolved to girls as young as even five years," she said.

"To make matters worse, once the girls mature, due to the dispensation we are in, they are not eligible for marriage since most young men prefer young women who are uncut; they are also discriminated against due to the scarring and massive keloids that grow and cannot enjoy a healthy social life."

YALI's Esther Neema reiterated Saleiyan's sentiments saying Kenya is still far from achieving the goals.

"If we accept the trend has reduced and conform to laxity, I am afraid we are a long way from achieving zero FGM cases even by 2030," she said.

Global Rescue Home Joe Njoroge said women who have undergone FGM face immense challenges.

"My work is to rescue boys from the streets and mentor them into men, however when they mature they need complete women to settle down with. A woman who has undergone FGM is incomplete not only physically but also psychologically," he said.

According to the organisation, in 2024, nearly 4.4 million girls more than 12,000 each day are at risk of female genital mutilation around the world.

According to YALI, FGM  has harmful physical and psychological consequences, it violates the rights to non-discrimination, health, and bodily integrity.

Girls who undergo female genital mutilation face short-term complications such as severe pain, shock, excessive bleeding, infections, and difficulty in passing urine, as well as long-term consequences for their sexual reproductive and mental health.

According to them, today, girls are one-third less likely to be subjected to FGM compared to 30 years ago.

To promote the elimination of female genital mutilation, activists say coordinated and systematic efforts are needed.

This, they say, must engage whole communities and focus on human rights, gender equality, sexual education and attention to the needs of women and girls who suffer from its consequences.

According to YALI, girls who undergo female genital mutilation face short-term complications such as severe pain, shock, excessive bleeding, infections, and difficulty in passing urine, as well as long-term consequences for their sexual and reproductive health and mental health.

In December 2023 President William Ruto reaffirmed the Kenya Kwanza government’s commitment towards eradicating FGM by the end of his tenure.

"I agree with CJ Martha Koome that FGM should not be a conversation we are having in Kenya in the 21st Century," he said.

"I want to assure support from my administration in the elimination of FGM as it is retrogressive and a danger to the health of our girls."