Parents have been urged to shun retrogressive cultural practices that disadvantaged girls, and instead prioritize their education to reduce poverty levels in Tana.
Speaking in Kinakomba ward to mark International Day of Girl Child in Wenje grounds, Gwano location Chief Hiribae Dhidha said Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) was rampant among pastoralist communities in the location.
“The government has issued an order to end FGM by the end of this year, so we are warning the communities practicing it that we do not want to hear about mutilation. Public give us information about FGM so that action can be taken,” said Chief Dhidha.
The Chief further advised parents to take care of their girl child’s needs to prevent early pregnancies.
He said, “Parents, let’s make sure we meet the needs of girls, especially when they reach puberty age. When we deprive them, they can easily be deceived”.
Chief Dhidha advised young people to abstain from having sex arbitrarily warning that the AIDS epidemic is not over, as analysts say the statistics are rising especially among young people.
On his part, Gender Officer Aggrey Nyangweso revealed that they would arrest all the mutilators in Tana River County and return children that have been forced into marriage back to school.
Nominated MCA Maimuna Makka said parents should not use the ravaging drought as an excuse to marry off their underage daughters to get wealth but should wait until their attained marriageable age.
On poverty, the nominated MCA said, “When a girl child reaches puberty, some parents cannot buy sanitary towels for them, so they have to find ways to get them, so parents should do their best”.
Garsen West MCA Dumba Semi said Chiefs should follow up with parents to ensure all children are in school.
Meanwhile, Kinakomba MCA Ahmed Babusa said they are united as MCAs to solve the problems of the girl child in Tana River through programmes like school feeding to ensure they study.
Chief Officer of Education and Vocational training Fatuma Gafo noted that girls continued to face a myriad of challenges among them lack of school fees adding that the County Government would in two weeks disburse bursaries to schools.
