Secret FGM practices pose new challenge in fight to end the cut

Anti-Female Genital Mutilation Board Chief Executive Officer Bernadette Loloju.[Bernard Orwongo, Standard]

For decades, Kenya has been at the forefront of the global fight against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), making commendable progress in reducing prevalence rates.

However, a new challenge is emerging—the secrecy surrounding the act. Once an openly practised cultural rite, FGM has now been driven underground due to legal restrictions, making it harder to track and eradicate the vice.

Stakeholders raised concerns about the changing nature of the practice during a media engagement in Nairobi ahead of the International Day of Zero Tolerance to FGM.

“FGM has persisted for generations despite global efforts to end it. What innovative strategies can we implement to accelerate progress and ensure the protection of every girl at risk?” said Anne Wang’ombe, the Principal Secretary for Gender.

According to Bernadette Loloju, the Anti-FGM Board Chief Executive Officer, what was once a public rite of passage with celebrations, feasts and music is now conducted in private homes, deep in forests or even across borders.

“When I was growing up, FGM was a norm. Our mothers, grandmothers and aunties celebrated a girl going through the cut. Since we got the law—the Prohibition of FGM Act 2011—we have seen more communities make the practice very secretive,” she explained.

Loloju expressed concerns that some parents are taking their daughters to neighbouring countries like Tanzania, Uganda and Ethiopia to undergo the cut, evading authorities in Kenya.

She noted that the secrecy is not just an adaptation to the law but a survival strategy by those determined to keep the harmful tradition alive.

“Today, no young girl would want anyone else to know they are cut, except their peers. They would want to tell their friends, ‘I’m cut, and you’re not.’ But when these girls grow up, go to university or leave their villages, no one wants to admit they have been cut,” Loloju observed.

She pointed out that the shift makes it even harder to track and prevent cases.

“Now, we have changed our tactic to say every mother should protect her daughter from FGM because she is the closest contact. FGM is becoming a hidden crime, and that’s why we need stronger community movements, more involvement of survivors and the media to expose secret practices,” she added.

The Board reports that Kenya has made strides in reducing FGM prevalence. In 1998, the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey recorded a national prevalence of 38 per cent. By 2022, this had dropped to 14.8 per cent among women aged 15-49 and 9 per cent among teenage girls aged 15-19.

Despite the progress, some regions remain hotspots.

“Counties in the North Eastern region, including Mandera, Wajir, Garissa and Marsabit, alongside Kisii, Nyamira and Kuria, still report high cases of FGM. While some communities, like the Maasai and Pokot, have shown improvement, we still have a long way to go,” Loloju stated.

The persistence of FGM is partly due to deeply entrenched cultural beliefs, economic incentives for traditional cutters and the silence of survivors.

Many women who have undergone FGM suffer in silence, fearing stigma if they speak out, allowing the cycle of abuse to continue.

For Evangeline Mukami, an FGM survivor, the scars—both physical and emotional—have lasted a lifetime. She was only 11 when she was cut.

“I went through the cut. It is something that, for many years, I have been unable to deal with, even after counselling and psychological support, but I am coping each day,” she shared.

Mukami has since turned her pain into activism, speaking out to prevent other girls from enduring the same suffering.

“Being a survivor, I got into advocacy, focusing on prevention. The aftermath of FGM follows women throughout their lives, so the best way is to prevent it. Our parents did it because they didn’t know any better. Now we do. We must protect the next generation,” she urged.

She emphasised the need for alternative rites of passage and community education to break the cycle.

“We need to work with survivors. They know where and when FGM happens, and they can help stop it,” Mukami added.

Ending FGM requires more than just legal prohibitions—it demands coordinated action across all sectors, according to the Gender PS.

Wang’ombe stressed the importance of regional cooperation to curb cross-border FGM.

“Kenya continues to collaborate with neighbouring countries to address this cross-border FGM and ensure policies and enforcement mechanisms are harmonised. A regional approach is essential in eliminating FGM in border communities where the practice still exists,” she said.

The Anti-FGM Board is promoting campaigns like the “Dear Daughter” initiative, where mothers who have undergone FGM pledge never to allow their daughters to be cut.

“We need mothers to be at the forefront of protecting their daughters,” Loloju noted.

Men also play a crucial role in ending FGM, as many communities still believe that uncut girls will not find husbands.

“We are pushing for it to be classified as a sexual offence because touching someone’s genitals without consent is already a sexual offence. As we celebrate milestones made, we must also acknowledge the challenges ahead, as many girls remain at risk of undergoing FGM,” she noted.