The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Amudat Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | As the tough law against Female Genital Mutilation takes root in the country, Pokot parents who are support the practice in Amudat district of Karamoja have decided to change the usual month of cutting girls and women to beat enforcement.
This has created worries among the district leaders who are fighting against the practice in the district.
Ms Docus Chelain the district female councilor for women with disabilities and also the vice district chairperson of Amudat district speaking to URN on Sunday in Amudat district said the Pokot parents in Amudat used to cut their girls and women in the month of August but they have decided to changed to December a month where most people concentrate on Christmas season.
She explained that the surgeons changed the month of cutting women this year following the pressure from government of Uganda and the district leadership.
“They have changed the month of cutting girls and women from the usual month of August to December and girls are taken to be cut in Kenya, pretending be going for Christmas celebrations,” she said.
Ms. Chelain added that reporting of cases by the village local leaders has gone down, not because the practice has reduced but that they are being intimidated by parents who take their children to be cut.
Rose Cheruto, one of the former FGM surgeon explain that governmnet needs to come up with projects that specifically address the needs of her fellow surgeons.
She noted that the practice has continued because its has been a source of livelihood for the elderly women.
“Before governmnet banned the practice, people especially the elderly women were earning a living from cutting women now things seem to be hard on those elderly women,” she said.
Joseph Ruto the LC1Chairperson of Nabokotom village in Amudat town council said reporting the FGM occurrences to police has become more risk because it involves death.
“We have also started fearing to report to police about the cutting of girls because when they get to know that it’s so and so who deported it to police, the relatives of those arrested can kill you straight away,” he said.
Mr. Francis Kiyonga the district LCV chairperson Amudat said more effort was needed to stop the practice.
Mr. Francis Kiyonga the district LCV chairperson of Amudat said the new approach that the FGM cutters have introduced is very dangerous and needed serious support.
“We should not relax that we are doing well in the fight against the practice; no, things are not good on the ground,” he said.
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a procedure where the female genitals are deliberately cut, injured or changed, but where there’s no medical reason for this to be done.
It’s a ritual practice to initiate a girl into womanhood during the exercise, a cow and goat are killed to celebrate.
The FGM cutter is invited to the girl’s home and the girl is asked to go up the hill with a stone on which she sits with her head held up high and legs spread wide for the cutter to circumcise her.
There are usually at least eight girls circumcised on any given day during the season using one sharp object.
The practices is done by the Sabiny community in the districts of Kapchorwa, Kween and Bukwo where 50 percent of women and girls undergo while in Karamoja its being done by the Pokot community in Amudat and the Tepeth in Moroto district.
In 2010 the Uganda government passed a law against the practice with those found red handed cutting girls face life imprisonment.
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