Women leaders should take lead in anti-FGM advocacy
Female Genital Mutilation causes irreparable harm to thousands of women and girls. It is a form of gender-based violence.
What you need to know:
- According to the World Health Organisation, over 200 million girls and women have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM) in 30 countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia where FGM is practised.
- This is a big number of women undergoing a practice that is not only outdated but also barbaric and inhuman.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says more than 200 million women and girls have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM) in 30 countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia where FGM is practiced. This is a big number of women undergoing a vice that is not only outdated, but also barbaric and inhuman.
FGM has widely been recognized as a violation of human rights. Available research has proven that the practise has no medical benefits. Women who undergo FGM, studies say, experience serious health complications like cysts, infections, complications at childbirth and even death - not to mention the psychological trauma.
The world celebrated the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation on February 6, and this was a good time to acknowledge the pragmatic steps the Kenyan government has taken to end FGM. There is, however, still a lot of work to be done.
According to the 2022 Kenya Demographic Health Survey (KDHS), FGM prevalence in Kenya is at 15 per cent. North Eastern and Rift Valley regions recorded the highest prevalence percentage.
Why would a progressive country like Kenya accommodate FGM? Part of the answer lies in cultural beliefs. While cultural preservation is important, it is high time we called out practices that do not reflect a progressive society.
In the past, it was alleged that FGM helped preserve the purity and dignity of women before marriage. However, such a permanent and irreversible act cannot be used as a prelude of cultural preservation in the 21st Century.
The Kenyan Constitution created the Woman Rep office to promote the interests of women and girls within counties. Concerted efforts at the local level will, therefore, go a long way in educating communities on the dangers of FGM.
The Woman Reps from the FGM hotspot counties should champion the social agenda on the vice, and rally the support of other women leaders to continue advocating for laws and policies that will help fight the vice.
They also need to engage communication experts to help with behaviour change. While times have changed, altering someone’s mindset on a belief they have held on to since time immemorial, will need the experts’ intervention. This framework uses the strategies of advocacy, behaviour change communication and community mobilization to influence both individual and societal change. This is what we should be driving at to eradicate FGM.
There also needs to be proper coordination of messages and activities across various channels to reach multiple levels of society, from the elders to the mothers, the children and the community.
Culture is not static, it is dynamic. Its fluid nature makes it susceptible to change. Communities should, therefore, take progressive measures to abandon retrogressive, archaic, and harmful practices that have negative, far-reaching effects on the physical and psychological health of women and girls.
Upon the enactment of the Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation Act of 2011, which was passed to advance women and girls’ rights and protect them against harmful practices, there has been a positive shift towards anti-FGM practices.
The Constitution grants the freedom for one to exercise their culture. However, that freedom has to be carried out in line with other constitutional provisions. Culture entails various modes of expression, which should not cause harm to another person in its expression.
While communication experts will play an integral role in this fight, there needs to be concerted action in all sectors; health, education, finance, justice and women's affairs.
Organizations like Kenya’s Anti-FGM Board should be consulted and more outreach programs by women leaders introduced to bolster the fight against FGM.
It is our collective duty to speak out against this dangerous and outdated cultural practise so that our girls and women can live healthy and fulfilling lives.
Vivienne is a Communications professional and currently serves as the Assistant Secretary at the Public Relations Society of Kenya Council. @vivienneatieno on Twitter
