The ritual transforms a young girl into woman, thus eligible to get married
The Anglican Church here has provided shelter to 117 young girls who ran away from their homes to escape female genital mutilation (FGM).
The children, most of them aged between 10 and 15, took refuge at a safe house operated by the Mugumu Anglican Church.
FGM, according to local customs, transforms a young girl into woman, thus eligible to get married.
The coordinator of a programme that helps children who oppose genital mutilation in Serengeti District, Mr Rhobi Samwel, said there were 43 children at the centre while the rest were sheltered by pastors in various areas of the district.
“We have at this centre 43 children from Serengeti and Butiama districts, while a bigger number of them have taken refuge in houses of pastors and other religious personnel,” he said.
Mr Rhobi, however, expressed fear that the number could double as the harmful exercise was at its peak in most areas of Mara Region.
He said, pastors and other religious personnel have been, for years, engaged in combating genital mutilation.
“We plan to offer tailoring skills, computer knowledge and other entrepreneurship skills to the girls if their parents and guardians refuse to accept them at the end of the initiation season,” he added.
He said the situation was complicated by local government elections after groups of elders threatened to vote for the opposition if the government suppressed the exercise.
Two children who managed to escape said they decided to run away after their aunt had ordered them to attend circumcision at Matare area in Serengeti District.
One of the children who was aged 14, said she never attended school and admitted to be illiterate. “My guardian told me I was already matured, therefore she wanted me to get married after the initiation,” said the young girl.
She also added that she and her colleague reported at Mugumu Police Station from where she was directed to seek refuge at the safe house.
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