By Lenah Bosibori
Wajir, Kenya-When Katra Haji came across 17 girls under the age of 10 lying beneath a tree in a small village in Wajir County, Northeastern Kenya, she was curious why they were resting there all in the same odd position. A closer look revealed that the children were unable to move because of the ropes tied tightly around them, from their knees to their waists.
Little did she know that the girls had undergone Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and would have to stay tied up for as long as 3 to 7 days.
For the middle aged Haji who hails from Wajir County, FGM was a long forgotten dying practice of the past when it was prohibited through an Act of parliament in 2011 to safeguard against violation of person’s mental or physical integrity, till that moment.
“I have spent much of my career as a humanitarian officer, working to address crises and support others in need. After seeing the young girls under a tree, I came to realize the devastating impact FGM was having on young girls in my own community” shares Haji.
This realization led Haji to register Women Organizing Women Network (WOWN), an initiative that has not only engaged women, but also engaged men, football clubs, religious leaders, and local leaders in spreading the MenEndFGM message.
“We practice FGM largely due to societal pressure and the demand from men, who associate it with preserving virginity. Many believe that for a girl to be considered a virgin, she must undergo FGM.” shares Haji. “Fathers often finance between Sh 1,000-2,000 ($8-$18) to facilitate the process, as most decisions in the household are made by men.”
FGM is a harmful cultural practice and a severe form of gender-based violence, estimated to have affected over 200 million women and girls alive today.. In Kenya, the highest prevalence of FGM among 15-49 year olds is a whopping 97.5% in the former North Eastern province where Wajir County is situated.
Across Kenya, about twice as many rural than urban women undergo FGM. While FGM/C is practised across all ethnic groups and religions, the highest prevalences are among Muslim women (51.1% of women aged 15–49) and the Somali (86.9%), Kisii (70.9%), Maasai (56.7%), and Samburu (75.9%).
While often regarded as a cultural rite of passage, FGM is also deeply entrenched as a religious tradition in some Kenyan communities, particularly in Wajir County. However, 92% of women aged 15–49 and 93% of men in the same age-range in Kenya believe that FGM/C should not be continued.
Breaking Taboos: Men Join the Fight
“We have male champions at the ward level, with three men actively engaging communities and raising awareness. Additionally, we work with community members who discreetly monitor activities in villages to ensure we can intervene where necessary,” adds Haji.
According to Mohammed Artur, one of the elderly men involved in MenEndFGM, FGM has been a taboo topic among the men in the Muslim community. “Involving men is essential to ending FGM in Wajir. In Somali culture, men influence most decisions both in households and the community. Nothing significant can be achieved without their support.”
To understand how MenEnd FGM is shifting age old values, I traveled 506 kilometers from Nairobi Kenya’s capital to Wajir County, a 16-hour journey of vehicle breakdowns and rugged roads. Billow Adow a programs officer at WOWN was one of the first male champion(s) I met. He shares how the program MenEndFGM has been beneficial to their work and led to the rescue of more than 100 girls since its inception six years ago.
“Our program began with word-of-mouth advocacy after we received a medical report from Wajir Referral Hospital, which highlighted men’s concerns about the complications of FGM to their wives; many complained of difficulties during intercourse due to the scars and stitches women endure as a result of FGM,” shares Adow.
The 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) reports that 97% of women aged 15-49 in Wajir County have undergone this oppressive practice, making it one of the regions with the highest prevalence in the country.
Further the KDHS survey says that FGM in Kenya has made a notable decline over time, from 32% in 2003 to 15% in 2022. However, the Anti-FGM Board Chief Executive Officer Bernadette Loloju’s statement in the annual report and financial statements of the AntiFGM Board 2023 says that the prevalence is still very high.
“Our vision is to realize Zero Tolerance to FGM, therefore to promote the abandonment of FGM, we have adopted coordinated and systematic strategies, we have engaged all communities and focused on human rights and gender equality, our strategies have been more innovative emphasized on societal dialogue and the empowerment of communities to act collectively to end the practice,” read part of her statement in the Anti FGM Board
FGM according to United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is a practice that involves altering or injuring the female genitalia for non-medical reasons. Internationally recognized as a human rights violation, it is estimated that some 230 million girls and women globally have undergone some form of female genital mutilation.
The World Health Organisation recognizes four types of FGM/C .The first is clitoridectomy, where there is partial or total removal of the (external) clitoris and/or the prepuce. Type 2 is excision where there is partial or total removal of the (external) clitoris and the labia minora, with or without excision of the labia majora.
Type 3 is infibulation where the vaginal orifice is narrowed with a partial seal by cutting and appositioning the labia minora and/or the labia majora, with or without excision of the clitoris. Type 4 refers to all other harmful procedures to the female genitalia for non-medical purposes, for example: pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterisation
Dispelling Misconceptions
Adow highlighted the widespread belief that FGM is mandated by religion. “Research by Islamic scholars has proven that FGM has no basis in Islam, it is an inherited cultural practice,” he said. “FGM is not just a women’s issue, fathers often pay for the procedure, making it a family matter. On average, a father pays out as much as Sh 1,000-2,000 for each FGM. Engaging men has helped us achieve a 70% reduction in cases.”
Adow shared that while he was away advocating against FGM, his own daughters were nearly subjected to the practice! “My mother attempted to cut my twin girls in my absence, but thanks to the male champions in the village, I was alerted in time,” he shares.
We began by training five male champions, each tasked with bringing five more participants for the next training session,” explains Adow. “This initiative has led to the creation of male champions in the villages who monitor and report to us or to the local chiefs about any planned FGM activities in the village.”
To date, over 200 men have been trained to advocate against FGM according to Adow. “Each month, 25 new male champions are trained and return to their villages to spread awareness, these champions collaborate with local leaders, religious figures, and lawmakers, ensuring the message reaches every corner of the community.”
“Men have traditionally been financial enablers of FGM, so changing their mindset is critical. Our male champions now act as watchdogs, identifying and preventing planned FGM ceremonies,” Adow explained.
The Medical and Social Impact
FGM has absolutely no medical benefits and in the short term causes severe pain, swelling and shock, along with the risk of haemorrhage, infections, urinary problems. In the years following FGM, the girls may develop frequent infections, difficulty in passing menstrual blood and suffer pain during intercourse. Child delivery can also become difficult necessitating Caesarean sections, not to mention the risk of developing psychological problems such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder.
FGM’s consequences extend beyond physical pain, affecting marital relationships and reproductive health according to Adow. “Tragically, the practice can also lead to death. “Few years ago, a young girl died after undergoing FGM performed by an elderly cutter. That incident prompted the entire village to abandon the practice,” Adow recounted.
Involving Men at Football Clubs
Katra’s efforts include engaging football clubs in the villages where she supports them with footballs and uniforms. The footballs are also labeled MenEndFGM to continue spreading the message to the newcomers in the games.
27 year old Farah Yarrow, a football coach from Kathraham village, shares his journey of joining the movement to end FGM after witnessing the hardships the women in his community endure. “One year ago, I decided to take action. My efforts have started to pay off; in August, I successfully intervened and rescued a girl who was about to undergo the practice,” he says.
“I personally intervened in a case after receiving information from the football team I coach. Acting on the tip, I contacted the village chief, who confirmed that preparations for the procedure were indeed underway in a nearby homestead,” shares Yarrow.
What Next After Rescue
WOWN has rescued 11 young girls during the December long holiday when learners break for two months before resuming in January, thanks to the efforts of male champions and local leaders.
“In collaboration with chiefs and religious leaders, we place rescued girls in supportive homesteads that can accommodate them temporarily, this is because we don’t have enough capacity to host them in schools and better places,” Shares Adow. “Once the holiday ends, the girls are returned to their families under strict monitoring by local leaders to ensure there is no repeated attempt to subject them to FGM,” adds Adow.
Adow notes that the process of reconciliation with the parents of the rescued girls is a crucial step in their work, to ensure the girls can be accepted back into their families. However, he admits that tensions remain high with the parents whose daughters have been removed from their care. “At the moment, we are not on good terms with the parents, but reconciliation is a necessary process we aim to achieve eventually,” Adow explains
Yussuf Ahmed, a hawker in Wajir town who lives six kilometers away from the town, who committed to ending FGM, stepped up to support two of the 11 rescued girls. Despite his own challenging circumstances, Ahmed offered to care for the girls until schools reopen in January.
He shares that ensuring the girls’ safety has been his biggest challenge, due to a nearby orphanage that allows boys to roam around the village unsupervised. Additionally, he recounts being attacked by unknown individuals shortly before our visit, an incident he suspects may involve those who had intended to harm the young girls under his care.
“I take extra precautions to ensure the girls’ safety, even sleeping near the door of the manyatta (house) to prevent anyone from entering,” says Ahmed.
Ahmed’s extraordinary efforts are taking their toll. He fell asleep during our nighttime interview. We had visited him at that time because during daylight hours, the rescued girls were attending classes at a Madrassa and we couldn’t find Ahmed due to the nature of his work as a roving hawker.
The Role of Women
In addition to supporting football clubs, Haji said that she has not left women behind in her efforts to end FGM, “I hold “Mandazi Forums,” every Friday, where I cook tea and ‘Mandazi’ (Snack) and bring them to a meeting place. We share experiences and learn about the harms of FGM,” she adds. She also supports reformed cutters – those who used to perform FGM/C – through savings schemes, helping them transition to alternative livelihoods.
Fatuma Mohammed is a reformed former cutter who is now a strong advocate for ending FGM. After working as a cutter for 30 years, she has dedicated the last six years to advocating against the practice.
Mohammed, who works as an office assistant for the County government, also uses her voice as a singer in forums focused on ending FGM. She shares that during her reformation, she has committed to praying every morning during the five AM prayers seeking God’s forgiveness for her past actions.
“I deeply regret the harm I caused to our girls for 30 years, including to my own two daughters,” she narrates in her dialect with her face showing a deep expression of remorse. “At one point, one of my daughters had to return from her marriage to undergo a procedure to remove the stitches, as her husband had complained about the difficulties it caused during sexual intercourse.”
Challenges and Triumphs
Despite the progress made, challenges persist, says Haji. “Limited resources hinder rescue efforts. Sometimes, I have to dip into my own pocket to fund rescue efforts, especially to give money to the chiefs so they can access villages where we receive reports of planned activities,” Haji adds.
“They call me Katra (Kintri), a name derived from my advocacy work under the regulatory framework aimed at ending the practice of FGM. It’s a tough and demanding journey to push for change in these deeply rooted cultural issues,” shares Haji.
She adds that practitioners of FGM, who are deeply entrenched in the practice, have begun relocating their operations to areas along the border between Somalia and Kenya to evade efforts to curb the harmful tradition.
The preference for out-of-court settlements also obstructs legal action.
Wajir County is at a turning point. While the road to eradicating FGM is long and fraught with challenges, the efforts of men, women, and community leaders offer hope.
This story was made possible with support from the Internews Health Journalism Network under the Gender Justice and Health Fellowship
