KENYA: Alliance Girls Launch Anti-FGM Crusade

Source: All Africa
A group of teachers and students from Alliance Girls High School and Dartmouth University in the United States have launched an anti-Female Genital Mutilation campaign in Marakwet district.

The campaign is aimed at educating communities on the importance of discarding the outdated cultural practice, which they say has affected girl-child education.

Speaking at Tot Primary School after the launch, the students said there is need for communities to educate their children regardless of gender. Miriam Jerotich, a student from Dartmouth University expressed concern that the enrolment of girls in schools in Kerio Valley is low despite the introduction of free primary education seven years ago. "The nomadic life being practiced by pastoral communities in most cases favours only boys to be in school. Parents force boys to go to school and the girls are required to look after the animals and this trend must be stopped," said Jerotich.

Paul Ayiro, a teacher from Alliance Girls said there is need for the government to help promote girl child education in areas where FGM is prevalent in the country. "We cannot afford to continue losing girls from school at a time where education is a universal human right," he said. The students decried early marriages within communities in the area. "Some parents withdraw their daughters from school and marry them off to old men in exchange of cattle and goats.

Some girls are as young as 10-years-old," said Jerotich. "This is why we have embarked on serious campaigns to sensitise communities in this area on the importance of education to girls. We are doing door to door campaign to spread this message," she added. Ayiro called on parents not to discriminate against girls in respect to education.

Kenya

Violence Against Women

KENYA: Alliance Girls Launch Anti-FGM Crusade