KENYA: Lawyers ask Men to Fight Against Female Genital Mutilation

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 Nairobi businessman, Mr. Julius Maina.

“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 Kenya.

One recent study by the University of Nairobi found that a shared blade is often used to circumcise up to sixty girls during the same initiation ceremony.

“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 Kenya and Tanzania, a larger percentage of women and girls who undergo the procedure come from Christian (not Islamic) families. “This diversity stems from the fact that FGC (female genital cutting) is a social and cultural practice, not a religious one. It predates the birth of both Islam and Christianity. Origins of the practice are unclear; however, it is generally traced to Pharaonic Egypt, based on evidence found on mummies,” says a recent 2010 report from WISE – Women’s Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equality.

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 Western Kenya she later migrated to another part of the country. She and her husband now have several children and grandchildren.

“I decided to settle in Western Kenya. For more than fifty years I have been living here comfortably,” says Ms. Wanjiru. “I went against the odds in not being circumcised and surprisingly, my understanding husband agrees with me,” Salome admits. “FGM should never be allowed in any community. Women deserve their dignity.”

In spite of the proper legislation being in place since 2003 in Kenya, the enforcement of the law is still desperately needed.

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 Kenya, most perpetrators get away scot-free and (are) never prosecuted under the current law. (The practice of) FGM is now chipping away at the foundation of the Kenyan family. Now more than ever, girls opt to run away (instead of facing circumcision) to places such as Nairobi to work as prostitutes. (This makes) them more vulnerable to HIV, rape by police and other authorities, as well,” she stresses.

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 Kenya, there is only one police officer per 1000 persons. That figure is (the) law. The government should hire more police officers in the coming fiscal budget year,” stresses Ndungu during her recent interview with Gitonga Njeru for Women News Network.

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 Kenya support the procedure of FGM.

“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 Kenya. The cases lawyers receive, however, are still very few in the courts and some take up to 10 years to be finalized,” added the attorney.

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In the Rift Valley Province of Kenya the Cara Rescue Centre in East Baringo District, on the border of the Pokot District, provides shelter for girls from Pokot who have chosen to escape from the procedure and initiation of FGM. In East Pokot, many young girls are finding it difficult to evade the traditional knife due to few facilities which cater to girls who want to shun the practice. The crew of Kenya CitizenTV was in Baringo East to bring you this June 2010 story on the Cara Rescue Centre which caters to girls from three different divisions. Despite ongoing campaigns, FGM remains rooted in the culture.

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For more information on this topic:

• “Female Circumcision and Kenyan Law: A Case Study” – Michael A. Stanfield, Ohio State University, Bioethics Program, January 2010
• “The Role of Policy Makers in Ending Female Genital Mutilation: An African Perspective” – African Union Ambassador to the United States, Amina Salum Ali, Population Reference Bureau, Bridge and USAID, April 2010
• “Ending Female Genital Mutilation to Promote the Achievement of the Millennium Development Goals” – END FGM – EU Campaign and Female Integrity – KVINNOINTEGRITET, June 2010
• “Female Genital Cutting – Harmful and Un- Islamic” – WISE Women’s Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equality, July 2010

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Women News Network – WNN correspondent from Nairobi, Gitonga Njeru, a recent recipient of an award grant from The Fund for Investigative Journalism in Washington, D.C., is a journalist who specializes in investigative stories, climate change, rights issues and science reporting. His material for news stories has been published by Reuters News AlertNet, The Guardian (UK) and Africa Science News, along with The Daily Nation and The Nairobi Star Newspaper in Kenya. Njeru’s work has also been featured by Spore Magazine (Brussels) and Ooskanews (US) covering water, land and sanitation conditions in developing countries.

WNN editor and media intern, Michelle Martini, has taught ESL to students in Hong Kong, China, migrant workers in Marian, Indiana and adults in San Francisco, California where she now resides. She has also worked closely with the Camfed USA Foundation and is an outspoken advocate and writer for the rights, education, and empowerment of global women. You can follow Michelle on her twitter HERE

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Additional sources for this article include ISSAfrica, Iowa State University – Bioethics Program, IRIN humanitarian news, Amnesty International – Ireland and WISE Muslim Women’s Shura Council.

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©2010 Women News Network – WNN

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