The Nation (Nairobi)
NEWS
December 20, 2005
Kenya - Nairobi
KENYA: Girls who went through an alternative rite of passage have asked the Government to protect them from circumcision when they return home.
As they graduated from a rescue centre yesterday, the 308 girls expressed fears that they could be forced to undergo genital mutilation after their two-week training.
The girls, aged between six and 17 years, had been living at the Moi Girls Nyabohanse Secondary School after they were rescued from forced circumcision by officials from Action Aid Kenya, the Kenya Alliance for Children's Rights, the German Technical Corporation (GTZ) and the Adventist Development and Relief Agency. They were trained on the dangers of FGM and the spread of Aids.
Some of the girls shed tears after they graduated from the camp, saying their community would still force them to undergo the outlawed rite.
District commissioner Joshua Chepchieng warned the girls' parents against forcing them to be circumcised.
He directed chiefs to record the names of girls from their locations and follow up on the matter to ensure that none was circumcised.
"Any chief who will condone female genital mutilation in his area should consider himself sacked," he said. "This is an outdated practice that has affected the education of girls in this district".
Mr Chepchieng said many girls dropped out of school to be married after being circumcised because they got "a false feeling of being mature and ready to raise a family".
Kehancha mayor Rosemary Ghati asked NGOs to concentrate on sensitising parents on the dangers of FGM.
"This is because they are the ones who make decisions for their children. If they are convinced, then you can rest assured that the practice will be on a downward trend," she added.
She warned that FGM would not be eradicated overnight in the Kuria community but would be gradually abandoned.
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