Where Female Genital Mutilation Still Reigns

Scholars point to the origin of Female genital mutilation as sub-Saharan Africa, A Greek papyrus dated 163 B.C. mentioned the operation being performed on girls in Memphis, Egypt, at the age when they received their dowries, supporting theories that FGM originated as a form of initiation of young women.

In Kenya the practice has been there for thousands of years. FGM is a central part of an initiation ceremony intended as a rite of passage for girls. It usually involves removal of the clitoris, and may also involve removal of the inner and outer labia, and the suturing of the entire vulva, leaving only a small hole for the passage of urine and menstrual blood.

The Kikuyu regarded female circumcision, performed at puberty and accompanied by much singing and dancing, as an important rite of passage between childhood and adulthood, and between an asexual and sexual life. Uncircumcised women were viewed as non-adults, and the idea of abandoning the practice was unthinkable. Jomo Kenyatta, who became Kenya’s first prime minister in 1963, wrote in 1930:

In maasai, the women believe that an uncut woman has sexual feelings for every man she comes across, and is likely to stray from her marriage. In fact, they see FGM as a tool to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS in their community.

FGM is typically carried out between four years old and puberty, although it may be conducted on younger infants and adults. It may take place in a hospital, but is usually performed without anesthesia by a traditional circumciser using a knife, razor or scissors. The practice is rooted in gender inequality, cultural identity, ideas about purity, modesty, aesthetics, status and honor, and attempts to control women’s sexuality by reducing their sexual desire, thereby promoting chastity and fidelity. In communities that practice it, it is typically supported by both women and men.

Read: When Will Female Genital Mutilation Stop in Kenya?

FGM is typically carried out between four years old and puberty, although it may be conducted on younger infants and adults. It may take place in a hospital, but is usually performed without anesthesia by a traditional circumciser using a knife, razor or scissors. The practice is rooted in gender inequality, cultural identity, ideas about purity, modesty, aesthetics, status and honor, and attempts to control women’s sexuality by reducing their sexual desire, thereby promoting chastity and fidelity. In communities that practice it, it is typically supported by both women and men.

The practice is for all girls under the age of 18, but as newspaper reports show, this has had but a small effect. In addition, the procedure, although  illegal, is often done in secret. Girls are often married almost immediately after the ritual, thus dropping out of school. Therefore the issue is also one of education for young women. Thirty eight of Kenya’s forty two tribes practice it.

In Kenya the Children’s Act in 2001 banned

Many organisations are trying to support the government’s action to protect the ‘girl child’. Action Aid Kenya and a German organization have stepped up campaigns against the practice through alternative rites. World Vision Finland has extended funding to fight. In the West Pokot leaders of women’s groups resolved to unite and intensify the campaign against the circumcision of girls. This group of 90 women plan to step up education and mount aggressive campaigns.

A historic law was passed by Parliament In 2011 making female circumcision officially illegal in Kenya. The Private Members’ Bill, sponsored by Mt Elgon MP Fred Kapondi, made it illegal to practice female circumcision, procure the services of a circumcision practitioner, or send somebody out of the country to undergo the illegal ‘cut’. Offenders will serve up to 7 years in prison and fines of up to Sh 500,000. Moreover, anyone who causes death in the process of carrying out FGM will be liable to life imprisonment.

Previously, in November 13,1996 A motion seeking to ban female circumcision was defeated 
in the Kenyan parliament.