MWIRICHIA: Increase efforts to eradicate FGM

The archaic female genital mutilation is an internationally recognised human rights violation. The practice ranges from community to community and is agonisingly painful and dangerous.

Many girls who are made to go through it experience excruciating pain and develop complications in future, especially during childbirth.  According to Unicef, it has been performed on at least 200 million girls and women in 31 countries across three continents.

Kenya is among the countries where, despite being illegal, FGM persists. The outdated practice is mostly practiced among marginalised communities that still cling to their retrogressive cultural practices. 

The malicious, mindless cut leaves victims writhing in pain, untold agony and anguish. Other intermediate effects include shock, haemorrhage that could lead to sudden death, spread of diseases such as HIV and Aids due to use of blunt objects and sharing of tools especially when carried out by traditional circumcisers and psychological trauma.

Many victims carry this trauma into their adulthood and their lives may never remain the same again. In the long run, the girls may suffer severe health complications such as keloid formation; it also increases their risk of dropping out of school to be married off; a sad practice that jeopardises their future and that of their communities.

The rise in cases of teen pregnancies is exacerbated by this repugnant practice. Some parents, especially in communities where FGM is part of their deeply rooted cultural fabric, cannot speak out against the vice for fear of being ostracised. Some even do it in secrecy to escape authorities, it is spoken of in hushed tones behind closed doors.

That notwithstanding it should be appreciated that giant steps towards eradicating the vice have been made. To fully eradicate it we must come up with well-choreographed strategies to help communities see the dangers and ramifications of the practice.

Some communities have replaced the cut with education seminars for teenage girls, signalling a major shift in their orientation. This cements the girls' resolve to remain in school and work for their goals to help their families in future and concurrently signals a painless and seamless transmission from childhood to adulthood.

This is a commendable step that should be embraced by all and sundry. Communities that still cling to the outdated vice must undergo a paradigm shift and shun the practice forthwith.    

The relevant authorities must be vigilant to arrest all who practice and abet the crime and bring them to book. Various organisations need also to go the grassroots and intensely create awareness to the girls, parents and other caregivers on the need to move away from the damaging practice that does more harm than good to our girls.

We must stop at nothing other than raising a generation of irreducibles that will stand for us all by setting our girls on a path of prosperity for posterity.

High school teacher and author