The Parliamentary Centre and the African Centre for Parliamentary Affairs -ACEPA are implementing partners of the Global Affairs Canada funded Inclusive Legislatures and Gender Responsive Policies (ILGRP) Project. A citizen engagement session on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) was organized in Masai Land, Kenya. FGM is on the rise in Kenya and is a barbaric traditional practice that has adverse effects on women’s health, childbirth and sexual intimacy.
Left Image: Classroom session on Female Genital Mutilation with children of the community
Right Image: Image of an anti FGM advocate and mother of three teenaged daughters and one son.
Here are our Swahili and Masai facilitators in a session with mothers. All the women in the group have been circumcised and have pledged commitment to stop FGM for their daughters. We also talked about the importance of education of girls for economic empowerment. A separate session was also held with fathers as male allies for FGM “Abandonment”.
Left Image: Meeting with two male allies in the cause and our colleague Jeniffer.
Right Image: With the founder of the school (kneeling) and partner and school sports team coach (Centre)
ILGRP has organized an Anti-FGM Community of Practive which involves 21 Members of Parliament from FGM Hot Spots in the country. Efforts are underway to launch a targeted campaign of awareness building and engagement of women, girls, boys, schools – teachers, religious leaders, community elders, chiefs, elected officials and health professionals, as well the police.
