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Women News Network - WNN
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FGM
- KENYA POKOT DISTRICT - LAWYERS ASK MEN
TO
HELP END FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION
September 16, 2010
One of the communities that has not yet
abandoned FGM is
Most Pokot men place value and usually
demand that a woman must be circumcised in order to marry, but there are some
growing exceptions to this rule.
“I was circumcised as a little girl and I
managed to get a husband,” says Selina Lorupe, a 43 year old mother of 2
children. “Many women in my Pokot community continue to be circumcised. It is
part of our culture but other women are slowly resisting this move,” she
highlights.
Numbers from The Maendeleo Ya Wanawake
Organization, a group that fights for the rights of women in
Despite FGM being rampant among the Pokot,
advocacy groups are working hard to educate local women about the health
dangers associated with the practice. But society pressures sometimes outweigh
education. Advocates have noticed some improvements through their campaigns, but
improvements over the past years have been backsliding.
More Pokot men are now marrying women
outside their communities, from places such as the Kikuyu, Meru, and Kuria,
where the practice of FGM – female genital mutilation – remains intact.
Kenyan human right lawyers suggest this
undermines the fight to discourage FGM, making it even more difficult to
eradicate.
Prominent family lawyer and former
chairperson of
“FGM was outlawed in
“The Pokot, who straddle the Uganda-Kenya
border, are one of just two groups known to carry out female circumcision in
In addition to the usual procedures, the
Pokot community often also uses a severe form of FGM called infibulation, which
includes the removal of all the external genitalia. The vaginal opening is then
stitched closed, leaving only a small passage.
Although 2010 figures may have slightly
improved, “The estimated figure for the percentage of women and girls
circumcised in
The ritual of FGM must be seen in the
context of culture. The Rift Valley Province covering the West Pokot District
has a history of high priced bride dowries, even though the region suffers from
abject poverty.
Men wishing to marry are often without
resources to pay for dowries, which often require them to gather many herding
animals to pay for a dowry before they are allowed to marry. A large herd for a
dowry is often beyond their reach. This practice has created a community of
raiding, higher domestic violence, violent crime and an increased familiarity
and use of firearms in rural communities.
Rural Pokot woman, Sarah Lowasa, now 21
years old, is a mother who has been separated from her husband now for some
years. During her marriage she was physically and emotionally abused and
mistreated.
At the age of 6, Sarah experienced FGM.
Today, she deeply regrets it. “No woman should go through this ordeal,” says
Sarah. “This ordeal has caused me to develop a genital malformation.” Due to
Sarah’s FGM complications, at the age of 6, she had to be airlifted to a
“There is need to work with men on matters
relating to FGM if this war is to be won,” reminds Sarah Lowasa. “Good
legislation and punishment of the circumcisers does not yield any fruits. We as
women need to encourage men to also be activists in the fight against this
vice.”
As early as 2003
FGM is often practiced during school
holidays, especially in December, throughout the Pokot District, especially in
the rural areas.
“It (FGM) is part of our culture and I do
not see anything wrong with it as long as the right measures are taken such as
using clean equipment (knife blades) to prevent HIV infection,” admits
prominent
“It has always been part of our culture
over the years and I do not see why it is being condemned in recent times,
while women who have undergone the ritual are living normal lives,” outlines
Mr. Maina.
Kenyan medical epidemiologists fear today
that the practice of FGM is fueling the spread of HIV in numerous communities.
They have hinted that studies will soon begin to determine the impact of HIV,
specifically HIV spread and the practice of FGM among the Pokot people of
One recent study by the
“We need much more education,” says
circumcised woman, Sarah Lowasa. “Most circumcisers do not even have medical
training so the risk of making blunders during the initiation ceremony is very
high. Traditionally circumcisers are elderly women who do not even realize the
changing cultural trends of society. Men say that having sex with a circumcised
women is more pleasurable as compared to women who are not circumcised,” added
Sarah.
In the Rift Valley Province, it is expected
that Pokot girls will be circumcised before the age of 15. Grown women also go
through the procedure. Alone, without family support, many of these rejected
adult women face a life of hardship. Some are forced to turn to lives as
sex-labourers without their husbands.
As Pokot women face the demands of family
and society, the pressure to submit to the FGM procedure intensifies. Adult
women and mothers of young daughters, often feel forced to choose circumcision.
Often in these circumstances, FGM is considered the “lesser of two evils.”
FGM is a cultural practice that is not
based on religion. In
As a young girl, Ms. Salome Wanjiru, now 72
years old, went against her local tradition of being circumcised. Marrying
outside her Kikuyu community and into the community in Luhya-land in
“I decided to settle in
In spite of the proper legislation being in
place since 2003 in
Attorney and former member of the Kenyan
Parliament and architect of the Kenya Sexual Offenses Act, Ms. Njoki Ndungu,
advocates for the hiring of more police officers who will crack down on the
practice of FGM. But she feels the support of other administrators and
officials is essential to eradicate the practice.
“There is need to punish the people involved
in the practice of FGM,” she says. “I am sad that despite proper legislation
here in
Higher education, with a push to bring
districts into greater action and knowledge, is the framework that will help
reduce FGM. Without a constant push against tradition eradicating FGM will
become impossible.
“There is greater need to hire more law
enforcement in these communities,” adds Ms. Ndungu. “In
The Kenyan government has now spearheaded a
program that hopes to see more rural women educated on matters relating to
female circumcision. The targeted communities for the education programs are
the Kuria, Kikuyu, Ameru, and Pokot.
“In our Somali Community FGM is normal,”
says Somali born Kenyan man, Mr. Abdulahi Osman, in complete opposition to 72
year old Ms. Salome Wanjiru’s modern ideas. “The women bear us children and the
ones I know who have undergone the cut are in good health. I have two wives who
underwent the cut. They satisfy my physical needs and that is the most
important part of it.”
In spite of Mr. Osman’s views, and the
views of many other men of the Pokot, not all men from
“As a young boy growing up, it was more
common than today for women and girls to be circumcised. It made me cry to see
girls cry in severe pain,” says prominent Kenyan attorney, Mr. Clifford Ombati.
“I think men and women need to unite to fight FGM. As a lawyer I have
represented many women in court and it makes me feel good that the vice is now
outlawed in
Click Website Link Above & Scroll Down
to See Video - In the Rift Valley Province of Kenya the Cara Rescue Centre in
East Baringo District, on the border of the PAbove okot District, provides
shelter for girls from Pokot who have chosen to escape from the procedure and
initiation of FGM. In