HEALTH | ADVOCACY & POLICY | CULTURE | VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN | AFRICA
Female Genital Cutting in Kenya: How do you end a cultural practice?
WORDS BY LAURA DARCEY | LAURA@THEIWI.ORG | 15 MAY 2024
The international community has been discussing how to end Female Genital Cutting (FGC) for more than 100 years – so why haven’t we been successful? In Kenya, after decades of advocacy and resolutions have reduced the percentage of girls exposed to the practice, but a rising population means more girls than ever will go under the knife in coming years unless current efforts are accelerated.
The Sustainable Development Goals set the target of ending FGC worldwide by 2030. Eradication within this timeframe feels ambitious, but by harnessing community engagement in a process of FGC abandonment, sustainable long-term change is possible.
Female Genital Cutting
Female Genital Cutting, also known as Female Genital Mutilation, is the complete or partial removal of the external female genitalia for non-medical reasons. Often performed in unsanitary conditions, it is recognised as a human rights violation and offers no medical benefits(i). Instead it presents many dangers including excessive bleeding, infection, sexual challenges, increased risk during childbirth, and even death. The procedure scars girls both physically and mentally, creating a cycle of complications that follow them through their lives(ii).
Used as part of a larger coming of age ceremony, FGC indicates that a girl is ready to be wed. It is associated with preserving purity and virginity, as well as indicating cleanliness, and can be performed for cosmetic reasons to appeal to the aesthetic preferences of some men. Religious doctrine is frequently used to justify the practice, but this incorrect assertion has been dispelled by top religious scholars(iii).
The pressure to undergo the procedure can be immense. An uncut woman can be seen as devalued, unclean and cowardly. Families fear foregoing the procedure, believing their daughter may not be accepted into the community and might not be able to find a husband. And in poor communities where the purpose of women is to marry and have children, refusing the cut may not be a risk worth taking.
FGC in Kenya
FGC is prevalent in Kenyan society, and while numbers are falling, in 2021 it was estimated that 21% of Kenyan women aged 15-49 had undergone the procedure. Sadly, climate change may yet forestall progress as changes in weather patterns increasingly put agricultural families at risk of extreme poverty. Families struggling to survive marry off their daughters in exchange for a dowry, which can provide financial relief. But without FGC as a precursor to marriage, families worry that their daughters will not be able to find a husband, or that their dowry they’re paid will be much smaller(iv).
...without FGC as a precursor to marriage, families worry that their daughters will not be able to find a husband...
FGC is an important rite of passage that has been passed down from generation to generation. But despite its cultural significance, FGC is a human rights violation, and was banned in Kenya in 2001 and criminalised in 2011. When prosecuted perpetrators of FGC face harsh penalties including large fines and time behind bars. But the criminalisation of FGC has simply pushed the practice underground. Police officers struggle to identify, arrest and prosecute those practicing it, and many Kenyans, including law enforcement officers, hesitate to report FGC in their communities(v).
FGC is a deeply rooted cultural practice, and outside laws that condemn the practice can be viewed as foreign and challenges to indigenous norms and cultures. In fact, in some cultures, FGC has increased as a sign of cultural resistance against the far-off capital of Nairobi and Western influences.
Education to End FGC
Kenyan women with no education are far more likely to have undergone FGC than women with some level of secondary education(vi). Many believe that education holds the key to ending FGC. At school girls can be taught the extreme risks associated with FGC, and the fact that it is illegal in Kenya. They are exposed to new ideas, and empowered to take a greater role in decision-making in their lives. An education can give a girl a voice, which she may be able to use to protect herself, and her future children, from harmful practices such as FGC.
But changing attitudes towards FGC through education may take generations. Female elders in a community are often the greatest supporters of the practice, and have the ability to overrule the FGC preferences of a girl or those of her mother. But studies have shown that women with more education are less likely to support the practice of FGC. As education becomes more available for Kenyan girls, perceptions will gradually change(vii). But for now, many girls do not have the authority to refuse the procedure.
Alternative Rites of Passage
While education can change the perceptions of the young, creating a community-wide change requires a community-wide approach.
Alternative Rites of Passage (ARP) are driven by a simple idea: that the transition from girlhood to womanhood can be celebrated without subjecting girls to the harmful practice of FGC. ARPs represent a paradigm shift in how communities approach rites of passage, offering a culturally sensitive alternative to traditional practices, communities can safeguard their cultural heritage while promoting the rights and well-being of their girls(viii). An ARP could be the pouring of sacred cow’s milk over a young girl to signify her transition into womanhood.
The key strength of ARPs is their ability to engage the entire community in the journey towards change. Elders, religious leaders, parents and young people alike come together to embrace a new vision of coming-of-age. Through dialogue and collaboration, ARPs build bridges between generations, fostering a shared understanding of the harms of FGC and the benefits of alternative approaches(ix).
Changes like this don’t happen overnight, but are a gradual journey that unfold over time. ARPs involve challenge centuries-old traditions and beliefs, requiring a cultural shift that demands patience and persistence. Engaging the entire community, from elders to young people, is essential, but building consensus and changing attitudes takes time. While the process may be slow and complex, ARPs represent a promising approach to fostering sustainable change and empowering communities to abandon the harmful practice of FGC over time.
The Path Forward
The criminalisation of FGC can create an environment for FGC abandonment, but it is just the beginning of the journey towards eradicating the harmful practice. Sustainable change requires a holistic approach that combines legal measures with education and community-driven initiatives.
With community-engagement and greater investment of time and resources, we may see significant reductions in FGC ahead of the international goal of eradication by 2030.
i. Health and Human Rights Journal, Eradicating Female Genital Mutilation / Cutting https://www.hhrjournal.org/2018/08/eradicating-female-genital-mutilation-cutting-human-rights-based-approaches-of-legislation-education-and-community-empowerment/
ii. WHO, Female Genital Mutilation https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/female-genital-mutilation
iii. Vice, Female Genital Cutting is on the rise during COVID in Kenya https://www.vice.com/en/article/xgzm83/female-genital-cutting-is-on-the-rise-during-covid-in-kenya
iv. Pulitzer Centre, Climate Change pushes girls in Northern Kenya back to early marriage and FGM https://pulitzercenter.org/projects/climate-change-pushes-girls-northern-kenya-back-early-marriage-and-female-genital
v. Vice, Female Genital Cutting is on the rise during COVID in Kenya https://www.vice.com/en/article/xgzm83/female-genital-cutting-is-on-the-rise-during-covid-in-kenya
vi. Orchid Project, Intersection between female genital cutting and education https://www.orchidproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Intersection-Between-Female-Genital-Cutting-and-Education.pdf
vii. ICRW, Leveraging Education to end female genital cutting worldwide https://www.icrw.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/ICRW-WGF-Leveraging-Education-to-End-FGMC-Worldwide-November-2016-FINAL.pdf
viii. Safe Kenya, Female Genital Cutting Abandonment https://safekenya.org/our-projects/female-genital-cutting/
ix. Matanda, What interventions are effective to prevent or respond to female genital mutilation? A review of existing evidence from 2008-2020 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10187928/