Kapchorwa
Changing the life style of the people living in Kween, Kapchorwa and Bukwo districts to end the traditional Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is proving a headache to local leadership. Although President Museveni in April 2010 approved the law prohibiting the practice and described FGM as crude and an infringement on the girl-child’s rights, statistics indicate that 220 girls were circumcised last year.
Statistics by Reproductive Educative and Community Health (REACH), a community-based NGO, established to improve the reproductive health conditions and discard the harmful practice, say the numbers is still high.
REACH executive director Beatrice Chelangat, while releasing the statistics titled “2012 FGM data for Sabiny sub-region” dated April 2, revealed that there is an increase of the practice amongst married women than the girl-child in schools.
She revealed that although 50 girls were circumcised in Kapchorwa, 46 in Kween and 124 in Bukwo, 448 girls were rescued from being circumcised, and no circumcision amongst the school-going children was registered.
Although these statistics indicate that the practice is relatively going down, Kapchorwa LC5 chairman Sam Cheptoris says the practice is persisting amongst families that are not educated. The chairman Sabiny Cultural Association, Mr William Cheborion, said as an association, they recommended that sub-county leadership pass by-laws denouncing FGM.