Ghati* underwent FGM in October 2020 out of choice in order to get married. Last October, Ghati told her parents that she was “ready” to undergo the rites of passage, which include Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). The study concluded that at least 160,000 girls got married and another 100,000 girls became mothers in the period schools were closed following the Covid-19 outbreak. FGM is a crime in Kenya: Perpetrators can be fined a minimum of Sh200,000 or three years in prison or both. Last year, in Kuria West, 24 perpetrators were nabbed and prosecuted and 38 girls were rescued from the cut, according to Kemboi Kimaiyo, the sub-county police commander.

Source: Standard Digital July 28, 2021 07:07 UTC