As the world continues to observe the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence, a small group of men in Upper Eastern Kenya have decided to stand again the practice that, according to UNICEF, affects over 200 million girls globally.
“I have witnessed a woman from other communities resuming their normal duties as early as two days after giving birth but when it comes to our women they take up to 40 days bedridden unable to even attend to the newborn. This is due to the deep cutting the succumb during giving birth,” says Said Abdurahim Sheik Adan, the spokes man for Men for Change. He adds that other women are unable to have normal deliveries due to the severity of the cut.
Angered by this, Said and his male colleagues started a cmpaign to end Female Genital Mutilation in the community in Burat, Isiolo County in Kenya.
Men for Change Organization in Isiolo comprises 42 men aged 35-50 in Burat Ward of Isiolo County. Here FGM is prevalent and a largely accepted practice. Baraka Duba, a member of Men for Change Organization explains why they chose to join in the fight against the vice. “Traditionally, many men preferred to marry a woman who had undergone FGM. But due to heightened campaigns targeting men, they started appreciating women who had not faced the knife. Once the men learned about the harmful effects of FGM on girls, many they made a decision to only marry uncircumcised women.” he said.
With training sessions sponsored by ActionAid Kenya through The Girl Generation, the men meet every Sunday for training on matters Female Genital Mutilation and ways to become better champions of the rights of girls. Besides, members of this groups have serve as surveillance teams for any form of sexual and gender based violence.
A poetic Approach
In order to reach a diverse audience within the community, the men write opems in the local dialect, highlighting the disadvantages of Female Genital Mutilation. “Our purpose is to create a mindset that FGM is harmful. We also investigate the existence of any secret FGM practices and speak to the concerned elders and parents against it,” says Duba.
“Education has opened our minds. We now understand negative consequences of FGM. For example, our daughters have faced severe cramps during periods and difficulty in sports.
Said Abdurahim Sheik Adan, the spokes man for Men for Change
They meet every Sunday for training trainings organised by with Action Aid. The men have also been y’re also focused on providing tight security in different the areas to stop all forms of sexual and gender based violence (SGBV), especially FGM.
Baraka Duba, member of Men for Change, saidmentioned that initially, only women were advocating against FGM, but their impact was notn’t significant. That is’s when they decided to join forces and work together with men to accelerate the process of ending FGM.
One of their strategies is writing poems in the local dialect, which highlight the disadvantages of FGM, aiming to eradicate this harmful practice. The men y have alsoeven conducted investigations to locate the slaughterhouses where FGM is performed.
“Education has opened our minds. We now understand negative consequences of FGM. For example, our daughters have faced severe cramps during periods and difficulty in sports. I have witnessed a woman from other communities resuming their normal duties as early as two days after giving birth but when it comes to our women they take up to 40 days bedridden unable to even attend to the newborn. This is due to the deep cutting the succumb during giving birth. Others are unable to give birth normal and forced to go CS,.” Said Abdurahim Sheik Adan, the spokes man for , Men for Change said. .
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