Unicef launches mobile App to fight FGM in Kuria
Unicef has launched a mobile App to help in the fight against FGM in Kuria.
Unicef has launched a mobile App to help in the fight against female genital mutilation (FGM) in Kuria.
The App dubbed Pasha will assist in the reporting of FGM cases at the click of a button.
Pasha will aid in sharing information with government agencies including the Anti-FGM Board and other duty bearers in text or voice messaging. It also has an option for those giving information to remain anonymous and picking one’s location.
The information is then received by authorities who then respond accordingly depending on the alert received.
The launch that took place in Kehancha town, Migori County, comes just before the November-December school holiday, a season when cases of FGM hits the peak in Kuria.
Government data shows Kuria community has one of the highest rates of prevalence of FGM in Kenya; affecting 84 per cent of women.
Jackson Onyando, Unicef Kenya Child Protection Specialist said the mobile application will be free to those who will use it.
“The App comes after previous anti-FGM campaign meetings conducted along the Kenyan-Tanzania border, and because of fear of trauma for those exposing cases, this app will be key,” Onyando said.
He observed that the anonymous reporting option would enable many people to share information freely without the fear of being victimized.
Anti-FGM board Programmes Manager Nyerere Kutwa, said the App will be upgraded in the future, to enable usage without Internet and to use the SMS platform to reach remote places.
“This Pasha mobile application will complement existing mechanisms of reporting FGM cases like the 116 and 195, for reporting GBV concerning children, “he said.
A leading anti-FGM crusader in the area Vincent Mwita, who works with Tunaweza Empowerment Organisation, said the App provides a secure channel to report those perpetuating the vice.
Mr Mwita told Nation.Africa that the App comes to compliment other communication channels that already exist and are being used to fight FGM in the area.
He explained that anti-FGM crusaders in the area are also working with their Tanzanian counterparts to arrest cross-border FGM.
“We are talking to the elders on both sides (Kenya, Tanzania) to have them join the war so that we completely end the vice,” he said.
Last year during the December holidays, reports emerged that more than 400 girls had been cut, causing an uproar among key stakeholders.
The government then conducted a cracked down on parents who perpetuate FGM in the area. More than 30 parents were arrested and subsequently charged in court.
Cross boarder FGM has been singled out as a major problem facing the fight against FGM in Kuria and other boarder points.
A 2020 report by Unicef states that more than four million girls and women in the country have undergone FGM.
Kenya outlawed FGM in 2011 and outlines offences to include aiding or abetting FGM, possession of tools to carry out the practice, and failure to report a person carrying out FGM.
The law stipulates a prison sentence of not less than three years, or a fine of Sh200,000 or both, for the crime.
It also indicates that a person who causes the death of a girl through FGM can be sentenced to life imprisonment.
