Non-profit warns of FGM rise in Kenyan region over holidays

Chair of the Kenyan non-profit organisation Maendeleo ya Wanawake Mary Kanana has said there could be a rise in female genital mutilation (FGM) in Meru County during this holiday season.

She said that the practice is typically more prevalent in the region at this time of the year.

Speaking to Nation.co.ke, she said: “I urge parents to stop female genital mutilation and educate our girls that it has negative effects on their lives.”

Ms Kanana added that all citizens in Kenya have to make an effort to improve the welfare of girls.

According to Nation.co.ke, FGM is still practiced in Tharaka and some parts of Meru and Embu counties despite it being made illegal in 2011.

The Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) 2008/9 found that 27.1 per cent of women surveyed had undergone FGM. The survey revealed that rural women were more at risk than those in urban areas, with 30.6 per cent of rural women having been subjected to FGM, compared to 16.5 per cent of urban women.