The Anti-FGM Board will soon start a campaign dubbed ‘Dear Daughter’, an advocacy aimed at discouraging mothers from allowing their children to undergo the pain of female genital mutilation, its shame and trauma.
The Anti-FGM Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Bernadette Loloju said the campaign will involve girls who have been saved from FGM to create their own movement called ‘Daughters against FGM’ where they will stand up for themselves and denounce the practice to end the retrogressive cultural practice on girls and females.
The campaign will require mothers to write letters to their daughters about FGM vowing not allow them to be cut, a move that will see the passing of the generational button of ending FGM among their families and communities.
“I believe the next generation of women, among them the millennials and GenZs who have survived the cut and now the Alphas who are our upcoming grandchildren, will not be cut,” she said.
“We want the girls to feel the future without any pain, a future where every girl’s dream is fulfilled,” Loloju emphasized while affirming that she is speaking as a CEO, a woman and a survivor of FGM on behalf of other girls who have gone through the pain of FGM and a pain they would not want another girl to experience.
The Ant-FGM CEO was speaking on Tuesday at a Nairobi hotel during a Media Breakfast ahead of the International Day of the Girl Child celebration themed ‘Girls Vision to a Future Free from Genital Mutilation,’ set for 11th October, 2024 in Kajiado County.
The International day of the Girl Child was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2011 and is marked annually on 11th October.
She said this year’s theme aims to amplify the voices of girls, to give them the power and freedom to be able to say that they will not undergo the cut, they will not accept to be married off early, will not allow their dreams to be cut short and to work collectively to push their agenda forward and realize their vision.
“We want to throw the shame of FGM out of the window because we want the next generation to speak out for themselves,” stressed the CEO.
She at the same time announced that the Board is communicating messages of eradicating FGM through schools to create awareness to those being forced by parents to undergo the practice that they should seek assistance from the Board, local police stations, the national administration, community members who are against it and rescue centres.
“We are also using community approach where women themselves can use churches, and women groups in their communities to address the challenge. We want to have many women in the community where children facing the cut can run to for assistance,” she added.
The CEO also called upon the media to help the Board reach many Kenyans through social media platforms, print and broadcast media through speaking the language the communities will understand and shun the practice.
She described FGM as a form of disability that has made many girls and women to suffer, singling out the many fistula cases and deformity caused by the practice, as well as death and encouraged women who are suffering with fistula to speak out for them to get help.
The Chairperson of Anti-FGM Board Ipato Surum said the harmful practice deprives girls their dignity, health and full potential thereby perpetuating cycles of inequality.
“Our girls are not just passive recipients of our efforts, they are the architects of this future. When we listen to their stories, their aspirations and their desires, we realize they have the solution we seek,” she said.
The Chairperson noted that the girls are ready to break the cycle of FGM, but only if they are accorded unwavering support through education, community engagement, legislation enforcement and partnership.
She lauded the media for the vital role it plays in the fight against FGM through stories which shape perceptions, change mindsets and inspire action and urged them to amplify the voices of those who are leading the change against FGM among them the young girls, activists, and community leaders.
According to the KDHS 2022 prevalence ranking of FGM in Kenya by counties, Wajir County leads with 97.2 percent, Mandera 95.9 percent, Marsabit 83 percent, 82.5 percent, Kisii 77.3 percent, Samburu 75.6 percent, Nyamira 74. 7 percent, Isiolo 66 percent, Tana River 60.1 percent, and Narok 51 percent while the least is Busia with 0.1 percent.
By Bernadette Khaduli
