Beware of FGM, child marriage perpetrators during holiday
Many girls are married off and others subjected to genital mutilation during school holidays.
What you need to know:
- School closures come with challenges, including gender-based violence.
- Girls remain the main targets, especially for female genital mutilation and child marriages.
It is that time of the year when schoolchildren troop back home for the long November/December holiday. They will be looking forward to refreshing moments ahead of their next academic calendar, spending time with their parents, siblings and homies. However, for some, this period could mark the end of their education.
Previous reports show that during holidays, some learners have to grapple with shattered dreams. School closures come with challenges, including gender-based violence. Girls remain the main targets, especially for female genital mutilation (FGM) and child marriages. Many are faced with increased risk due to their presence at home. This could ruin many lives of young girls that still ought to be nurtured in an effort to create a gender-equal society.
The government and other players involved in protecting and empowering the girl child must proactively enforce the law throughout the holiday and beyond. We must protect the gains made in this sphere by all means. Otherwise, we might find ourselves going back to square one; they say old habits die hard.
FGM prevalence currently stands at 15 per cent among females aged 15 to 49, according to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022. Kenya missed its elimination target last year. What is now required is a hastened decline.
The authorities must be on the lookout for perpetrators, including those sneaking girls across the borders to circumvent the law and related regulations. Cross-border FGM remains a thorn in the side of East African countries and has been cited as a major contributor to increased cases.
Gender desks and Policare centres set up at police stations also need to be adequately resourced to enable them to deal effectively with reported cases. More safe houses are also needed across the country. Besides, this is the time to utilise Pasha, the mobile app launched last year in Kuria, Migori County, to track and report FGM cases.
The government should roll out the application to other hotspot counties to ease information sharing by different agencies involved in anti-FGM campaigns. Through the app, which is available on Google Play Store, a person can anonymously share or send emergency alerts in voice recording or text. It gives the location for easy and swift response once the authorities receive the information.
Amid the hard times, occasioned by the high cost of basic commodities, some parents might be tempted to marry off their daughters, treating bride price as a source of family revenue. As disgraceful as it is, similar cases have been reported before, and its recurrence is certainly not far-fetched.
The harrowing effects of FGM and child marriages cannot be gainsaid. They leave a trail of lifelong scars in their wake. Continued sensitisation to the dangers of these practices will go a long way in keeping girls in school and empowering them.
Political leaders, government administrators, civil society, clerics, and elders, among other stakeholders, should be involved in the campaigns to eliminate the practices. Let’s protect the rights of all girls. Let’s have all of them transition to their next level of education come January next year.
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Meanwhile, October has been breast cancer awareness month; the campaigns should not stop by the end of this month but remain a continuous process. It is through enhanced education that significant strides have been made so far in the face of untold suffering. Today marks the last Friday of October and in our cover story, survivors speak of hope. They tell of the milestones witnessed in cancer treatment over the years.
