Steven Ariong, Karamoja – The government of Uganda, with the support of development partners such as UNFPA and UNICEF, is making significant progress toward eliminating Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in the Karamoja and Sebei regions. However, more effort is still needed to eradicate the practice completely.
FGM involves the partial or total removal of the female clitoris. This practice has led to the deaths of many women and girls and also contributes to the prevalence of teenage marriages.
This practice is still being carried out in Moroto, Amudat, and the Sebei region.
Although elders in the areas where the practice is carried out believe that a woman who is circumcised and gets married will remain faithful to her husband, they also claim that the practice preserves virginity and prevents adultery among married women.
These claims by the elders have not been scientifically proven, but doctors have documented painful labor experiences among women who have been circumcised.
Dr. Patrick Sagaki, the Medical Superintendent of Amudat Hospital, told this publication that FGM has caused many complications in women’s private parts, such as urinary retention, injury to the adjacent tissues of the urethra, perineum, and rectum, fractures or dislocations resulting from forceful restraint of women or girls, and the struggles of girls due to the resultant pain.
In 2010, Uganda banned the practice, and offenders face up to 10 years in prison. However, if a girl or woman dies during the act, those involved face a life sentence.
Since the ban, there have been positive results in the fight against FGM. However, cutters have now shifted the practice to neighboring Kenya, fearing arrest by Ugandan authorities.
This situation requires more funding to enable Uganda to engage Kenya, which has become a hotspot for FGM cutters, particularly during the month of December.
Initially, the practice was carried out in public events. However, after the Ugandan government intervened, it is now conducted secretly, with much fear surrounding it.
Thanks to UNFPA, which has been at the forefront, including supporting survivors of the practice through small income-generating activities.
Michael Longole, the Karamoja Regional Police Spokesperson, said that so far, one stubborn FGM cutter has been arrested and is currently serving a sentence in Moroto government prisons.
“We are on the ground to ensure that FGM cutters surrender, or else they will face the law,” he said.
