Anti-FGM campaign linked to rise of teen pregnancies

Image result for antifgmAn  increase in teenage pregnancies has forced Boni community council of elders to seek the legalization of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

The elders argued that the anti-FGM campaign has eroded morals among women and girls something that was unheard of when FGM was practiced.

Do you think the practice of FGM will help curb teen pregnancy?

The elders yesterday urged the government to allow and support them to carry out FGM on their women so as to reduce teen pregnancies and save the community from shame.

Council chairperson Ali Gubo said FGM is meant to control libido of women and keep morals at the required levels.

For decades, Boni women have been taken through the cut in what was termed preparing them for moral uprightness in a world believed to be full of moral decadence.

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 However, Boni women differed with the elders and said FGM has been overtaken by time,they said it is time to encourage women and girls to pursue more productive activities like education.

Amina Barufa, a married mother of four, said, “Those claiming that women became immoral since FGM was banned should ask themselves why women are that way. It all boils down to how someone has been raised and the environment they grew up in.”

She said moral decay has nothing to do with being cut or not. “It’s a non-issue if you ask me. Girls should be encouraged to go to school and become something,” Barufa said.

Hindi MCA Anad Hajji, who comes from the Orma minority community, said they are actively creating awareness on the dark side of FGM and many communities are starting to understand.

“We go round educating people that what they believe is right, is actually wrong and unfair to the girls. It’s tough to have people drop the practice, but they are slowly coming around,” Anab said.

The elders blamed FGM ban for the increased divorce cases in the community.

They said women no longer undergo the cut and this makes them easily prone to ill morals that eventually wreck their homes and marriages.

This comes days after the Kenya young parliamentarians proposed harsh punishment to individuals found guilty of impregnating teenagers.

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