Female genital mutilation has strong cultural advocates on its side

A Regular Police officer has committed suicide over his wife’s alleged infidelity, Deputy County Commissioner Jacob Ruto said. PHOTO| FILE|   NATION MEDIA GROUP

In Summary

• As for those who kill children born to uncircumcised mothers, the hangman at Kamiti has not dispatched anyone in twenty years I hear, so even that is not an option. 
• Any type of change requires leaders who have themselves stepped over certain thresholds in the growth of consciousness as people. 
• In fact, there are many communities in the developed world that practice circumcision silently on their daughters.

By MUTHONI THANG'WA
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Many people watched in amazement recently as a group of Samburu elders defiantly claimed that female genital mutilation would not stop, and that even if it was against the law the government had not consulted them before passing that law.

Further, it was categorically stated that in this community, children born to mothers who have not undergone the torture are usually killed. Infanticide therefore awaits any young woman who refuses to be mutilated.

It is tempting to ignore cultural problems in society. After all, there will not be enough prisons in which to lock up both the parents who marry off their children and the wretched old men to whom they are married off.

READ: EDITORIAL: Save girls from FGM

READ: LAIKIPIA - Girls as young as 6 being subjected to ‘cut’

As for those who kill children born to uncircumcised mothers, the hang man at Kamiti has not dispatched anyone in twenty years, I hear, so even that is not an option.

One is strongly tempted to blame government as the public often does on social media, but that would be the least suitable way to deal with a disconnect between culture and the law.

The government, though the Constitution and the Children’s Act, recognises parents as the primary custodians of Kenyan children and their rights.  Yet parents, whether we like it or not, do not only safeguard children, but also pass on a value system to them.

So when the Constitution and culture are in conflict, with the result that the constitutionally-designated judge, prosecutor and jury within the family are all the same person or persons, it makes no sense to blame either.

In other words, enforcing elements of law that are embedded in culture is not innovative and does not provide useful solutions to the problem.

How does society make the enablers of harmful practices the very instruments of change? How can these instruments be moulded to transmit values, beliefs and attitudes that are progressive, not just for one group in society, but for all? Something cries that coercion and duress are not very useful options here.

Are there countries from which Kenya can learn the role of cultural change, especially those that have experienced transformational social, cultural and economic change?

UTOPIAN SOLUTIONS

Leaders and opinion-shapers can play an important role in such change. Unfortunately the kind of political leaders that this country chooses will be the last to help in matters of cultural change.

Any type of change requires leaders who have themselves stepped over certain thresholds in the growth of consciousness as people. If the last parliamentary session was anything to go by, elected leaders are the last group we can look up to.

They need to be guided by the hand over small matters, including self-control, manners and etiquette, all indicators that they have not even began the journey to grow their consciousness.

It becomes very disturbing when educated, exposed people, who themselves belong to these cultures, busy themselves in the blame game and suggest utopian solutions such as the building of rescue centres for these girls by government.

Such a suggestion places the responsibly for culture change on a child, as that child will have to find a way to escape from home, which is its natural and God-given sanctuary.

PRACTICED SECRETLY

Naturally there have been very many commendable efforts to establish alternative rites of passage for both boys and girls, even among the Samburu and Pokot.

Individuals who have taken this as a personal responsibility can only be highly commended and not condemned for the corners they are yet to reach.

At least they are doing something, and some girls have escaped unscathed. But clearly a lot more still needs to be done to save girls, especially from pastoral communities, from this age-old practice.

The problem with applying the law in this case is that the practice will simply leave the public eye, but continue to be practiced secretly, especially where such practices are also dictated by religion. In fact there are many communities in the developed world that practice circumcision silently on their daughters.

That a group of three thousand ‘elders’ can confront the government on a cultural practice that is against the law plainly demonstrates that some parts of the Constitution of Kenya are merely ‘paper smart’.

Twitter: @muthonithangwa