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ISIOLO WOMEN CALL FOR ZERO TOLERANCE FOR FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION
Date: 18-11-2022
Isiolo Women Against Sexual and Gender Base Violence is a community-based organization located in Bulapesa Ward in central division of Isiolo County. The organization is composed of indigenous pastoralists both women and girls where they started working to bring change after a training by CREAW Kenya on phase four of SASA Project. The group as a mission to educate and empower women and girls to understand and advocate for their rights, take up leadership positions and close the gender disparity gap in Isiolo County.
The vision of the group is to have a society where all indigenous pastoralist both women and girls are well engaged in social discourse, advocacy and have a space to contribute towards the progress of their communities.
The organization focuses on ending female genital mutilation, reduce teenage pregnancies, eliminate early marriages, ending sexual and gender-based violence and to reduce new cases of HIV infections. The organization was part of the cohort one under WVL (Women Voices and Leadership). The group targets adolescent girls in school, out of schools, girls from slum areas and young women of vulnerable groups to be part of development in a bid to achieve gender equality. The activities target areas where incidences of female genital mutilation and gender-based violence occur due to retrogressive cultural practices where circumcision of girls is said to be a sign of honor, strength and maturity to the life ahead of her.
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is internationally recognized as a gross violation of human rights, a form of violence against women and girls, and a manifestation of gender inequality Many girls are at a risk of undergoing this harmful practice every year, many of them under the age of 15. Despite the strong and continuously developing evidence base on the presence of FGM in Isiolo county, the organization as put much effort on awareness among the public especially the perpetrators(circumcisers) and survivors of FGM parents and adolescent girls through forums and public meetings, door to door and use of local media to reach them with information.
In cultures where female genital mutilation is entrenched in tradition and social norms, it takes real courage to speak up against it. And yet every day, survivors of FGM like Amina Kuno are calling for an end to FGM. This is because Amina knows first-hand, the long-term physical, psychological and social consequences of FGM, and the danger it poses to the current and future generation of girls and women. Amina says It is time to listen and act fast in addressing the structures, and harmful gender norms that perpetuate the practice. Because female genital mutilation is rooted in gender inequality and power imbalances, fighting it requires changing the cultural and social norms that increase the risk of harm to women. This means addressing all other forms of violence and harmful practices such as child marriage, as well as physical, sexual and psychological violence occurring in the family, institutions and our communities.
In order to stop girls from going through the horror and sustainably contribute to ending FGM, Amina takes away the cutting while retaining important aspects such as sexuality education and keeping girls in schools.
Religious leaders, elders, and other cultural gatekeepers hold the key to the abandonment of FGM by entire communities. They can make public statements delinking female genital mutilation from religious teachings and ethnic culture. Decrees from the Borana Council of Elders, Pokot elders, the Tana Delta elders, the Loita Maasai elders and others have outlawed the practice amongst their ethnic groups, paving way for alternative rites of passage that honour the rights and well-being of women and girls.
To promote the elimination of female genital mutilation, Isiolo women have coordinated and systematic efforts to engage their communities and focus on human rights, gender equality, sexual education and attention to the needs of women and girls who suffer from its consequences.