Integration of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) escapees back into society has been fronted as one of the major challenges by the Anti- FGM Actors in Migori County.
The majority of girls aged seven to 16 years that are being housed in various rescue centres and safe spaces particularly in the region’s Kuria land, have always found it difficult to be accepted back by the local community.
With the fast approaching dates of school opening in January, the Anti FGM actors have started the process of sensitizing the practicing community on the need to accept back their children.
‘Tunaweza NGO’ Official Vincent Mwita says that girls always stream into rescue centres and other safe spaces every December season to escape the cut in Kuria.
So far, the current long holiday has seen 312 girls joining children’s homes and other safe spaces located near them within the two Kuria Sub Counties.
Although the fight against FGM has intensified over the past years, the problem seems to be taking a painful toll on Anti FGM crusaders.
Lack of enough food, clean water and other girlish basic needs have become a problem for the temporary rescue centres that heavily rely on well-wishers for support.
Mr. Mwita notes that the biggest predicaments that Anti FGM anti crusaders are facing today is the reconciliation and incorporation of girls rescued back into society.
Majority of girls run away without informing their parents or guardians for fear that they may be detained at home or denied permission and forced to undergo the cut.
“What the girls are doing is first to escape then inform later their parents through intermediary on where they are domiciled,” Mwita adds.
He acknowledges that the majority of girls that notifies their parents or close relatives of their escape plans end up being abducted by FGM perpetrators that force them to undergo the cut.
Komotobo Mission Church Rescue Center Manager Julius Marwa says that lack of consent from parents to the escapees always makes it difficult to be willingly accepted back into society.
Marwa says that the whole problem becomes a heavy burden and worsens when schools open and girls need to return home to attend schooling.
We always accompany girls that fear returning home due to the reason that they left home without the consent of their parents. The opposition is real and sometimes we have to seek intervention from teachers, security and willing relatives to intervene on our behalf, explained Marwa.
The rescue centre that is located in Nyabasi-Kuria East Sub County, currently has 97 girls that have sought refuge to escape the cut, and according to Marwa the number may rise as we move closer to the new eve.
Marwa underscores that the community’s reluctance to accept the girls can also be associated with the “community outsiders tag” that suggests lack of initiation to womanhood.
The official stresses that someone can only be disowned by society if greater atrocities are committed against the same community’s cultural beliefs and norms.
“You cannot disown a seven years old girl simply because she did not agree with you on her health rights as a human being. Rights and freedoms of persons need to be respected especially if those rights tend to infringe or harm the individual”, Marwa emphasized during a candid interview with him recently.
Jackline Chacha, a teacher at one of the schools in Nyabasi West Ward, acknowledged that some of the girls are brought by their mothers to the rescue centres without their husband’s consent, which leads to both of them being disowned.
Chacha affirmed that although teachers often get threatening messages of physical harm and curses from the FGM perpetrators, the work of teachers is to instil the right values, good morals and be role models for the young ones.
She pinpointed that teachers have been branded as Anti FGM Informers because of the daily interaction they have with children in schools.
Chacha also noted that lack of good political will from Kuria politicians and opinion leaders to publicly condemn the vice and support the Anti FGM messages was one of the reasons why FGM was still rampant.
She explained that political leaders have a bigger say when it comes to community issues like FGM because of the uttermost respect accorded to them by their community.
Chacha also called upon the cultural elders to put more effort into publicly denouncing the vice.
She applauded the church leaders, especially in Kuria that have been strongly condemning the vice during their Sunday services.
The clergy have been advocating for the Christian male circumcision rites to help curb FGM, which is always done concurrently with male circumcision rites.
Early this year, men from Kuria were trained on the responsibility of protecting and integrating their girls from the harmful effects of FGM under the programme “Men End FGM.”
The head of the initiative and Programme Coordinator of Lake Region Development Programme Mr. Peter Shikuku noted that men are the gatekeepers of the society, where their final say on FGM matters has a greater impact.
He noted that men are leaders and should act as role models in the fight against FGM through championing the same at their local barazas as well as being able to assist the Anti FGM crusaders incorporate the girls back to the society.
