|
|
Girls Stand Up against Female Circumcision:
Between Tradition and Awakening. Kenya 2002 |
|
|
|
The girls of the Pukot and the Marakwet tribes in Northern Kenya say "No" to circumcision. In a society where tradition and culture is quite strong.
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is doing great harm. It has been estimated that 2 million girls and women - nearly 6000 per day - undergo FGM each year. 85 - 114 million women have already undergone it. It has physical, psychological and social consequences, both short-term and long-term. FGM is practised in 28 African countries and in several countries in Asia and the Middle East.
|
|
|
|
Circumcision is the ritual way to transform a child into a marriageable adult. A circumcised girl does not need to go to school any more. The parents do not have to pay any further expensive school fees and the daughters are given over to marriage.
The current situation in Kenya is telling. On the one hand, there is a new law since passed in December 2001 which takes criminal proceedings against this practice. On the other hand, circumcision is still a reality and only a few district chieftains agree with the new law.
In reality one encounters the whole imaginable spectrum of opinions. There are convinced parents and girls: These girls take part in the ritual circumcision. Then you find girls who, against the will of their parents and the chieftains, run away from home looking for shelter in special camps. However, you also find moderate parents who support their girls in taking part in alternative ceremonies even against the will of their chieftains.
|
|
|
|
|
|
