#ENDFGM is a movement with the sole purpose of eradicating the human right violation that is female genital mutilation. In Kenya alone, around 4 million, or one in five, women and girls have been subjected to FGM, with an estimated 574,000 additional Kenyan girls at risk of undergoing FGM between now and 2030 unless urgent action is taken to prevent it. Please join us in signing and sharing this petition to ensure that we promote awareness of this form of violence and discrimination toward women, and ensure an end to the forced genital mutilation of women in Kenya.

For centuries, women have endured discrimination and inequality through cultural practices and traditions that aim to oppress them. Sadly, the ritual of FGM (forced genital mutilation) is a present-day issue still plaguing the world today. FGM is essentially the ritual of cutting or removing some or all of the external female genitalia, often carried out illegally with non-medical personas and unsterilized equipment. 

The practice is said to have origins in Egypt from the fifth century, and the ritual spread to many communities in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and even Latin America. Globally, around 200 million females have undergone a form of FGM. Meanwhile, 21% of women aged 15-49 and 3% of girls under 15 years old are victims of female genital mutilation in Kenya, which is approximately 4 million women. Even though Kenya is considered a developing country, girls in underfunded rural areas who have less access to education are most likely to suffer the effects of FGM. For example, a good 98% of the surgeries take place in the North-Eastern region, and 1% in the Western region. 

FGM treatments range from type 1 to type 4, with type 1 (removal of the clitoris) being the most common in Kenya. The removal of this sensitive genital organ eliminates any satisfaction that a woman could experience through sexual interactions. Despite the pain the Kenyan women undergo, these communities promote the mutilation of their bodies to uphold the standards that men set so that society will accept them. It perpetuates gender inequality through female ‘modesty,’ especially in the fact that “some parents still believe that their uncircumcised girls will not be [able to marry].” Men also degrade and shun women who do not undergo FGM, furthering female humiliation when they undergo the surgery.

The physical complications that women undergo as a result of this forced circumcision includes but is not limited to severe pain from non-medical professionals cutting into the most sensitive parts of their body, sexual dysfunction, chronic pain, infertility, and are at a higher risk of contracting HIV as the unsterilized equipment may lead to infections. Not only does this practice have tragic physical implications to a woman's body, but mental implications as well. Since FGM has been known to be performed on young women as well, children that endure this procedure often struggle with behavioral issues, psychological stress, anxiety, and depression. 

Although overall the numbers of women being forcibly circumcised has declined over recent years, they remain much too high. Most recently and notably, a Murang'a local forcefully circumcised his wife of 12 years, with help from 30 other men in the community. She said she has since developed health complications as she is not able to pass urine and has been bleeding ever since. This is only one publicized situation that has taken place, with many having gone under the radar. 

And we note that the gains can be precarious – when schools closed last year in response to COVID-19, we saw an increase in cases of FGM, child marriage and sexual violence. An estimated 574,000 additional Kenyan girls are at risk of undergoing FGM between now and 2030 unless urgent action is taken to prevent it. Thankfully, ending FGM is a national priority in Kenya, with an action plan to end the practice by 2022. However, we need to ensure that this happens.

This petition thus aims to combat the human rights denying procedure that is FGM, and hopes to bring global awareness to the inhumane issue plaguing Kenya today. It is an overdue, deeply-rooted ritual that has no proven health benefits, and is more harmful and immoral than beneficial. Though FGM has been outlawed in the country, it is still heavily practiced, with public ceremonies parading recently circumcised women despite the government’s tireless efforts to combat the issue. This petition will help in demonstrating the urgency of this human rights violation. Our hope is to expose the uncomfortable reality that women endure with this outdated ritual, and push more of Kenya’s citizens to protest the unchallenged. Let’s unite and act together to achieve the goal of an FGM-free Kenya. FGM must go. #ENDFGM      

Please help us make a difference, every signature counts.