Ten teen girls spend night in police custody for 'undergoing FGM'
A police cell.
What you need to know:
- 17 girls were rounded up in the overnight raid on FGM dens but seven were found not to have undergone the cut.
- The area chief said perpetrators were now charging up to Sh2,500 per girl due to the secrecy involved in the vice.
Ten teenage girls spent Monday in police custody at Maua in Meru County after they were found to have allegedly undergone female genital mutilation at the Giika location in Igembe South.
Also arrested was the alleged circumciser, who was caught while performing the cut.
Parents of the affected girls were also taken in as well as an assistant chief who is said to have attempted to cover up the matter by hiding two of the circumcised girls and blocking the arrest of the suspects.
Giika Location chief Gervase Mucheke who led the operation to crackdown on the illegal FGM ceremony on Sunday night said two other circumcisers were on the run.
Mr Mucheke said 17 girls were rounded up in the overnight raid on FGM dens but seven were found not to have undergone the cut.
“We got information from members of the public on Sunday and staged a raid at night. A medical assessment has established that 10 girls have fresh cuts. It appears that seven others were awaiting the cut,” Mr Mucheke said.
He said one of the circumcisers who escaped the police dragnet is said to be running a health facility in the area and is believed to be a quack medic.
“The government and non-governmental organisations have done a lot of advocacy against FGM in this region. The vice had died for years until this holiday. We are yet to establish what has triggered this new wave,” the chief said.
Mr Mucheke said the police were on the trail of the quack medic who is believed to have been circumcising girls in her clinic.
He said the perpetrators were now charging up to Sh2,500 per girl due to the secrecy involved in the vice.
“The quack medic has always been suspected to be engaging in FGM but was released due to lack of evidence. We will now ensure she is brought to book to end FGM in the area,” the administrator said.
Ms Catherine Thiakunu, an anti-FGM activist in Meru condemned the incident and called for increased surveillance during the August holiday.
“It is unfortunate that the perpetrators of FGM are once again taking advantage of school holidays to defile our girls. It is also sad that even administrators are abetting the vice by hiding victims. There is a need for increased community sensitization to stop the vice,” she said.
Meru is among counties that have been cited for high cases of sexual and gender-based violence including high teenage pregnancies.
