February 6 marks International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
On this day, we rise up and declare clearly: we stand against FGM and those that practice, endorse and promote it.
A harmful longstanding practice, FGM involves the cutting off and/or sewing up of a female’s genitalia (known as infibulation) in a bid to control her sexuality.
Practiced in various forms (there are 4 types of FGM), it’s mostly carried out on young girls – from the age of infancy to 15.
Why? Well, a girl is “cut” in a bid to retain her virginity, deny her right to sexual pleasure (e.g. in the removal of the clitoris) and to “prevent infidelity” in marriage.
Today, over 200 million women and girls alive today have been subjected to FGM in 30 countries worldwide, across Africa, the Middle East and Asia, where FGM is practiced.
More information of this abusive practice can be found in our previous blog, debunking the myths around this cruel practice – which varies globally.
Different traditions and varying practices prevail between communities and countries.
However, over the years, one thing we have witnessed is a positive change in both outlawing and challenging FGM on a wider social-cultural level, with religious leaders also denouncing the practice.
For example, a well-known case is Egypt, where 86% of women and girls aged 15-49 have undergone FGM.
Religious leaders and medical professionals denounced the practice and called for reform. The practice was then later criminalised in 2008 with subsequent legal reforms.
Likewise, in another country of practice, Kenya, FGM also in decline.
Research estimates that around 15% of women and girls aged 15 to 49 have been affected (as of 2022). This shows a decline in practice – comparing to 21% in 2014 and 38% in 1998.
Legal reform from 2011 onwards has outlawed FGM, with the law carrying various penalties, including minimal imprisonment sentences for those performing FGM on Kenyan women and girls.
Under the Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation Act, offenses include: aiding and abetting, possession of tools used in carrying out FGM, death, medicalisation of FGM among others (Men End FGM, 2024).
Following the changes, since 2018, law enforcement has seen:
- 303 arrests
- 300 court cases
- 55 convictions and sanctions
What’s more, at the Generation Equality Forum in 2021, the President of Kenya (a global co-leader of the Action Coalition on Gender-Based Violence), made “12 commitments to end all forms of GBV and FGM by 2026”.
So, the government is pledging action and legal mechanisms are taking shape.
But, the practice still exists. And that’s why grassroots activists and community-based professionals are so important.
They play a key role in ensuring socio-cultural attitudes shift to support necessary legal changes.
Legal mechanisms are of course critical to prevent FGM and prosecute those practising FGM with the thread of imprisonment.
However, the only way we can really stop FGM is by challenging and changing the attitudes that promote this practice in the first place.
And so, with that in mind, we’d like to share the incredible stories of three inspiring anti-FGM activists in Kenya.
Mary, Leah and Tony are working on the ground to tackle FGM in their local communities.
They’re striving to create a brighter future for women and girls, and ensure safer, fairer and more egalitarian communities for all.
Here are their stories.
Mary Sakau
Mary is community activist belonging to the Maasai community.
Based in Kijaido County, Mary is married to a local Christian pastor. The couple have two children.
Aged 27 years old, Mary was cut when she 14. She’s since dedicated her life to preventing FGM through community education.
As a survivor of FGM, I work to combat FGM in my local Community to protect women and girls from this harmful practice.
I typically reach out to community leaders, teachers, young people (including school-age girls) and local medical practitioners, educating them about the risks and consequences of FGM.
The practice of FGM has no health benefits for girls and women.
It causes severe bleeding and problems urinating, with those affected later developing cysts and infections, as well as complications with childbirth and sexual relationships.
Infants of mothers who have undergone more extensive forms of FGM are at an increased risk of dying at birth.
Women who have undergone infibulation are more likely to suffer from prolonged and obstructed labour which his sometimes results in foetal death and obstetric fistula.
Where I’m based, we are far from health services and do not have easy access to transport. This means that a women’s labour will be even more lengthy.
What’s more, a woman affected by FGM faces further complications regarding sexual relations. There are challenges regarding fitting the penis through the small infibulated vaginal opening.
Husbands attempt to expand this small opening in order to achieve vaginal intercourse either by using their penis or a small tool to cut the sealed tissue open. This acute pain then develops into chronic sexual pain.
In my community, people believe that FGM can control girls and women sexuality, to ensure a girl remains a virgin until she married and stays faithful to her husband.
FGM is a cultural issue. Some people believe the practice is religiously justified, although no religious scripture prescribes the practice.
In Kenya, FGM is still prevalent among Maasai communities [around 1.2 million Maasai are based in Kenya – comprising around 20% of the Kenyan population].
In the Maasai community, around 21% of girls are directly affected by FGM.
Legally, FGM is outlawed. And as the law has changed, so has social attitudes.
Today, most people I’ve encountered consider the practice to be backward and no longer “useful”. They recognise it has no tangible benefits and promotes misogynistic narratives.
This indicates a shift in attitudes towards FGM. Women and girls are therefore benefitting from these positive socio-cultural shifts.
But, FGM is still happening. And that’s why I continue my activism.
As a survivor of FGM, I wanted to protect girls from being cut because I didn’t want them to undergo what I went through. However, these changes traditions are signs of positive change.
In my work, I visit schools and churches from village to village to educate local girls on this issue of FGM. I work alongside the local chief leader and pastors in their various churches in the area.
We usually meet twice a week to focus on FGM and its effects.
When we identify that a child is at risk, we contact the children protection agencies for their safety. We deal with a lot of cases.
Young girls will usually report to me directly. I then present their cases to our area chief or to the child protection agencies directly.
Many times, our pastors have also reported to the village chief who then contacts the county social services department.
Medical practitioners also help us to support girls who’ve already been cut.
Rescuing girls at risk is not easy. We’re now accompanied by security officers for our safety as we’ve sometimes been attacked by those performing the cut.
There are many challenges in this field. A lack of reliable data, resources and funding are the main obstacles. It’s not easy work.
Sometimes, I’m forced to walk long distances to rescue girls at risk of FGM. I’ve had to walk through the bushes even in the night because the women who carry out this practice on young girls, usually cut them at night to avoid being caught.
Of course, I’ve also faced rejection and aggression, as well as isolation, from members of my community for my work. Some even curse me thinking that I am “misleading their girls”.
A very small segment of the community knows the reality of FGM. Those that do are now helping us prevent cases of FGM being performed in the middle of the night.
Thankfully, I’ve been able to stop many girls from being cut.
My greatest achievement is rescuing ten girls, preventing them facing FGM. These girls are now all enrolled to school.
What drives me in this work is seeing the girls that I’ve rescued and knowing that they’re safe.
As an FGM survivor, I don’t blame my family for making me go through this inhuman act. They were following social norms. Norms that need to be challenged.
In my culture, when FGM was more prevalent, a girl was considered “unclean” if she wasn’t cut. And so, I’m writing this to say to the girls who faced FGM to still trust in life and to face the future with pride:
A brighter future lies ahead. You still have a future. Please stand up and let your voice be heard. Talk about how you feel.
I urge you to protect the young girls who may be facing the wrath of the knife as you and I did.
FGM is recognised internationally as a harmful practice which violates the rights of women and girls.
I urge everyone reading this, wherever you are, to stand up and speak out.
Let’s protect girls and women from this harmful practice and support those in the ground advocating for an end to FGM.
Leah
Leah is from Narok County and in her early teens.
She is a child rights advocate and avid anti-FGM champion in her community.
Determined to safeguard the rights of children in her community, Leah is committed to sensitising children on their rights to help end FGM, child marriage and other forms of violence against children.
A child protection champion, Leah was empowered by World Vision Kenya to learn about children’s rights and how to effectively advocate for them after entering a mentorship programme called the Alternative Rights of Passage (ARP), organised by World Vision, along with the County Government of Narok.
The ARP taught Leah important lessons about transitioning to womanhood through alternative methods – one that did not involve female genital mutilation before marriage, as is traditional with the Maasai community.
Working to protect women and girls in Kenya, World Vision launched the Kenya Big Dream III project in 2022, worth USD 14 million (around £11 million), aimed at tackling FGM and child marriage.
The Kenya Big Dream changes social norms which harm children, strengthens household income and reduces financial incentives for child marriage, promoting education and life skills training for girls.
Sometimes children feel like they are helpless, yet they also have the power to fight for their rights.
I always make them know that if they are facing threats like FGM and other types of child abuse, they can report the matter to the [area] chief or our teachers.
This has been of help to many children.
When you are educated, you are empowered.
You can get a good job or start businesses that will help you to live in a good house, take your children to good schools and to be able to buy clothes and have enough food at home.
You will not be poor and suffer constantly. To be a good adult, you also need to be honest, hardworking, caring, confident and ready to help other people.
These are some of the values that will make you succeed in life, as a child or adult.
Tony Mwebia
Tony is the founder and executive director of Men End FGM Foundation (MEF), a global award-winning movement rallying men and boys to join the quest to end female genital mutilation (FGM), child marriage and other forms of sexual and gender-based violence affecting women and girls.
MEF works affected communities across Kenya and are currently in the process of expanding the movement to Sierra Leone and Somalia.
Tony previously spoke with Voice of Salam on his work tackling FGM back in 2018.
I joined the quest to end FGM by chance. My turning point was after listening to the experiences of refugee men whose spouses had undergone FGM.
This led me to join X (previously Twitter) and start the online campaign #MenEndFGM back in 2013.
My aim was to challenge government agencies, NGOs and everyone working on ending FGM to include men and boys in their interventions.
Since starting as an online campaign, we’ve become an organisation that directly supports around 50,000 people every year.
Our interventions involve community dialogue, training male champions, engaging in campus dialogues, working with in-school and out-of-school children and running online campaigns via our social media channels and radio talk-shows.
With our online and media campaigns, we’ve indirectly reached over 12 million people.
We believe that FGM and other harmful practices are everyone’s business and that there is no single solution to fix the issue.
Our work is influenced by our methodology “Jamii Stawi” – a four-part participatory process that engages community/target groups in building consensus on issues affecting them.
To end the practice, we have to collaborate and work together with both state and non-state actors.
This is particularly true as we know that there many factors that contribute to the prevalence of FGM in our communities.
These factors are unique in every community, hence the need for context specific and community led solutions in addressing FGM.
FGM is as a harmful practice and deep-rooted cultural norm that has been passed from generation to generation.
However, we also have some communities in Kenya where it is shrouded in religious myths and misconceptions, especially among the Muslim population.
It’s not easy work. There many challenges that we face on a daily basis, including insufficient funding opportunities.
Though this is common to many NGOs, ours is exacerbated by the fact that we are a male-led organisation, which locks us out from many funding opportunities.
There also threats of physical attacks and lots of shaming, as many communities consider FGM as a taboo topic for men.
Being a man, I know all too well about the misconceptions and mistrust in dealing with this issue, as the majority of offenders are men.
The lived experiences of those affected mean that many women feel uncomfortable and reluctant to talk about the issue, trust and engage with men.
However, being accountable is key in building trust within the movement.
My community members are yet to accept that, as a man I’m speaking out against FGM – a topic which relates to women’s private parts.
Yet, with time, it is slowly sinking into their minds that I am here to stay!
Likewise, there are women out there who feel that I am invading their space due to their lived experiences and my gender.
However, I’ve found that over time, we get along well after building relationships with each other.
MEF is proud of the difference we’re making in different communities in Kenya.
My biggest motivation so far is seeing the impact we’re having in the communities we work in.
Listening to following the stories of the people we’ve supported ultimately drives me to continue this work.
If you’d like to help us in the fight against FGM, please consider donating towards our work.
Thank you.
Take action:
A big thank you to Mary, Leah and Tony for sharing your stories and for your all of your incredible work in fighting this critical abuse.
You’re inspiring and we hope to keep up-to-date with your success in the future!
To readers, we hope you’ve been inspired by this blog to take action!
If you’re looking for ways to get involved and support the work of activists like Mary, Leah and Tony, here are a few ways to get started:
1. Speak out
Denounce FGM for what it is – a harmful cultural practice that violates the human rights of women and girls worldwide. No “if”s, no “but”s
2. Keep alert and engaged
If you suspect someone in your community is at risk of being cut in your area (or taken abroad to be cut), please contact child social services/the police ASAP
3. Support professionals
Helping activists and organisations on the ground in their work is a great way to join the fight against FGM.
By joining their campaigns, donating to fund their work or volunteering your skills and time, you an make a real difference!
4. Share the message
Share this blog and get the message out there!
Seek support:
If you’re a survivor or believe you’re at risk of being forced to undergo FGM, please know that you’re not alone and there is help out there.
Please reach out to get critical support via:
- Specialist charities/service providers (list at end of this blog)
- Social services, medical services and the police
Your story is one of survival – but remember it’s your story to share when and only if you wish to.
Your emotional, sexual and physical wellbeing is the most important.
Please reach out to a trusted loved one, teacher, doctor or social worker and remember: it’s your body. No one else’s.
Here at Voice of Salam, we’re waiting for the day when FGM is a thing of the past and gender equality a reality.
So, this anti-FGM day, please join us in putting this disgusting practice “to bed”.
For good.
Disclaimer:
The views in this blog are those of the featured activists and external organisations. They do not necessarily represent those of Voice of Salam and its team members. Voice of Salam does not fund, endorse or otherwise support their work/organisations.
Voice of Salam unequivocally stands against FGM in all its forms and works for the rights of women and girls worldwide in the aim for wider gender equality across the board – against all harmful practices (social, cultural, religious et al.).
