Gender stakeholders in Narok county have agreed to raise the bar in the fight against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) after it emerged that the county is at 51 per cent above the national average of 15 per cent.
Anti-FGM board chairperson Mrs. Ipato Surum called on all Community Service Organizations (CSOs), government institutions and religious organizations in the area to work together to bring the number down.
“We have achieved a lot because few years ago, FGM was at 78 percent in Narok county. However, we have much to do to bring the number completely down,” she said.
The Anti-FGM boss was speaking at Nairegie Enkare Primary school in Narok East Sub County during the commemorations of the International Day of the Girl Child themed ‘Our time is now, Our rights Our Future’.
The function was attended by Narok Governor’s wife Mrs. Agnes Ntutu, Narok North Deputy County Commissioner Joseph Maina, Narok County Executive Committee Member (CECM) in charge of Education Robert Simwoto and Narok Director of Gender Agnes Ngeno.
Ms. Surum who hails from the county appreciated the fact that the current administration had appointed many women in senior positions, saying they would act as role models to the girl child.
“Among those appointed in Cabinet is our former County MP Soipan Tuya, who is the Cabinet Secretary Environment, Forestry and Climate Change. The Kenya Kwanza administration has really empowered women,” she said.
“As we sit and discuss the oppression the women are facing in the country there is also a need to sit and celebrate the achievement the women in this country have made,” she observed.
Mrs. Ntutu on her part challenged the stakeholders to work tirelessly to dismantle obstacles that bar girl child from progressing and create an environment where girls are free to drive their own course.
She affirmed the commitment of her office to support all girls achieve their full potential regardless of their backgrounds, saying the day reminds the people that a time had come to invest in the well-being of a girl child and to empower them so that they could shape their own future.
Mrs. Ntutu added that a time had come where the society should boldly address persistent barriers that hindered girls from realizing their rights and full potential.
“We should address challenges like child marriage, unequal assess to education, Gender Based Violence (GBV) and harmful cultural harms so that we can unlock the potential in them,” she said.
“Together we can create a world where every girls’ rights are upheld, her potential is unleased and create a more just inclusive and equitable world for all,” she said.
Narok County is among the few counties where FGM is rampant. However, despite in the past where the practice was done in the open, the trend has changed and those practicing it do it in hidden places to avoid being arrested by the authorities.
By Ann Salaton
