Female Genital Mutilation practices in Kenya: - Feed the Minds

aware that the government had banned FGM, but
the community does not comply with the ban:
this thing (circumcision) is done
secretly and mainly at night – there’s no way
the government can know what is happening.
Even the celebrations are disguised as birthday
ceremonies” (participant, FGD, mothers of
circumcised girls).
Other respondents felt that the government had
not done much to discourage the community from
practicing female circumcision:
we have never heard about the
government campaigning against FGM”
(participant, FGD, married men).
They also felt that the government had not done
much in explaining why the community should stop
circumcising their girls. Other participants felt that
the government could do more:
the government is against the practice
but they are not doing much, it is just words”
(participant, FGD, young unmarried men).
A local administrator complained that the existing
laws do not give a clear prescription on how and
who to prosecute in a case of female circumcision.
He felt that the laws were not adequate to secure
prosecution of offenders, and the existence of
the current laws had, in his opinion, driven the
practice underground. The administrator thought
that because the government has been threatening
arrest and prosecution, the public have reacted
by becoming secretive, resorting to circumcising
the girls at an earlier age when they are not
knowledgeable enough to protest or refuse.
chAnGes in the community
with reGArd to FGm
Preference for medical staff: Almost all
participants acknowledged that a major change in
the way the ceremonies are performed over the
years has been the increasing preference for using
health staff to do the cutting, instead of
traditional circumcisers. Health staff use individual
razors (scalpels) rather than the traditional knife,
or scissors, which was often shared amongst
initiates. As pointed out earlier, most of the cutting
now takes place in hospitals/health centres, or the
parents arrange for a doctor/nurse to come and cut
the girls at home.
No more seclusion of initiates: Another
notable change pointed out by participants
is the fact that newly circumcised girls are no
longer put into seclusion as in the past, to be
cared for by their grandmothers and aunts for a
month. Nowadays, girls remain at home and are
cared for by their mothers. There have also been
changes in the type of cutting, as observed in
Kuria. Respondents reported that in some cases,
the mother asks the nurse/cutter to make a small
scratch so as just to get a little blood and to be
recognised as complying with tradition.
Lower age at circumcision: The lowering
of the age at circumcision to 5-7 years is for a
combination of reasons including the need to get
the girls cut at a tender age before they are old
enough to be rebellious. It has also been attributed
to the government ban on the practice leading to
parents circumcising their girls at an age when
they are not informed enough to report the parents
to the authorities.
Families resisting FGM: Although FGM
remains nearly universal among the Kisii,
participants have observed changes, with some
families rejecting the practice and refusing to
bow to social pressure. Participants in the FGDs
and interviews attributed this shift to the growing
influence of the church, and to parents gaining
exposure to other cultures and education about
the illegality and health risks associated with FGM.
This has led community members to begin to
re-evaluate their beliefs and values:
Education makes a difference - those
who are educated have the knowledge and the
authority to make up their own minds and resist
cultural things” (participant, ARP initiates FGD).
ee
27.