BY: MILLICENT MWITA, EVELYN SASI, AND DANCAN KEMANGA

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) persists as a global silent epidemic, casting its shadows over the lives of countless women and girls. This deeply entrenched practice is rooted in cultural traditions and gender inequalities demanding our attention and collective action. FGM is not only a physical act, but also a violation of human rights that aims to control women’s sexuality and autonomy.

Most times communities often overlook the repercussions of this practice which violates the human rights of women and girls by exposing them to long-term pain and suffering in the form of physical, psychological, and social harm. The altering and injuring of female genitalia for non-medical reasons causes complications during birth, severe infections, infertility, and can even lead to death. This practice also leaves marks of trauma that causes depression, stigmatization, and chronic pain in the survivors. FGM exposes young girls to teenage pregnancy, early marriage, and family disputes. In the Kuria community, FGM is silently practiced where the community has come up with new trends for doing it, the use of boda-boda operators to ferry the young girls to the cutter during the night hours, door-to-door visits, inviting the cutters to the homestead of the girls, and also cross-border movement (Tanzania) since the law enforcements on FGM are weak.

FGM is not only a cultural imperative but a shared responsibility requiring coordinated efforts. International organizations, governments, and grassroots movements have made commendable strides in raising awareness, implementing legal frameworks, and promoting education. These efforts signal a collective determination to eradicate FGM and safeguard the well-being of future generations.

In 2024, according to the UNFP, nearly 4.4 million girls, or more than 12,000 girls a day are at risk around the world of undergoing FGM. These alarming statistics call for a need to collectively empower the community through education and awareness to challenge the harmful cultural norms, developing survivor-led initiatives where survivors share their stories and personal experiences on FGM, conducting targeted awareness campaigns, and community engagements to dismantle the roots of FGM and create a society that is committed to upholding the dignity and rights of women and girls.

As we commemorate the International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM, this is a call to action and commitment to ongoing efforts, advocacy, and policy changes that will lead to the eradication of FGM.  We can declare that our shared humanity demands a world where every individual can flourish without fear, pain, or the violation of their fundamental rights free from the shadows of this silent atrocity.

MILLICENT MWITA, EVELYN SASI, DANCAN KEMANGA

YOUTH ADVOCATES – NAYA KENYA.