Is there need to continue marking harmful traditional practices such as FGM given the meagre achievements made so far in eradicating them?
We ask the question because we are celebrating achievements made in stopping FGM but statistics show that the practice is still rampant in countries such as Kenya.
This year’s theme for the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation that is "No Time for Global Inaction: Unite, Fund, and Act to end FGM.
"We continue to tolerate the violation of the human rights of women and girls as we watch and continue talking. We need action to stop this vice" Judie Kaberia of the Voice for Women and Girls Rights Project recently said.
FGM has bad effects on the health and emotional status of women. It affects their self esteem.
In Kenya, girls aged between 15-15 years have undergone FGM among the Pokots, Somali, Kuria, Maasai and Turkana communities among others.
The Covid-19 period, facilitated the practice big time. Containment measure closure of schools for many months exposed a lot of vulnerabilities.
The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) estimates that two million additional cases of FGM may occur in the next 10 years in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.
This situation can be prevented if county governments, health facilities, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Media, political leaders and pressure groups can join hands and fight the vice.
Nevertheless, the health sector needs to play a critical and help in ending this vice among the girls and women through the provision of preventive primary healthcare services to those who have already been circumcised.
The Kenyan Healthcare system should learn from other countries.
Such interventions include being employed by other countries across the world where they have incorporated prevention of FGM and care for women and girls affected by it, into the midwifery curriculum.
A country like Burkina Faso where FGM is rampant has developed an FGM surveillance model based around documenting FGM in the context of antenatal care. This experience shows it is possible to measure FGM prevalence through the health sector.
County governments should proritise work developing policies, guidelines, tools and training materials for health workers to provide prevention services and care for girls and women who have undergone FGM.
They should also provide financial help to the healthcare workers to make the program a success.
The Ministry of Public Service and Gender should also collaborate with counties where FGM is rampant together with the Anti-FGM board to ensure that FGM is eradicated in completely by 2025.Ends
