Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Young girls hide in forest to evade mutilator's knife some are not so lucky I wish we could do more:( please read and share

Two sisters have been taking refuge at a forest in Marakwet West District for three days to escape forced mutilation.

A vegetable vendor on Tuesday found the two in the middle of Kamotony Forest in Marakwet West District.

"I spotted them conversing in low tones in the heart of the forest and they told me their predicament," said the vendor, who requested not to be named for fear of reprisal from the community.(Even helping with accommodation to the innocent kids you are considered a traitor:)

It, however, took the better part of the day to persuade the girls to accept to go and stay with her.

"The girls suspected the vendor could inform their parents of their whereabouts. They were reluctant to accept her help," said Newton Chebii, a resident.
The girls, aged 14 and 16, are in Form Two at Cheptulon High School. They fled home on Saturday when they learnt they were to be circumcised the following day.

Their mother had reportedly prepared them for the rite, but the girls are said to have maintained they would not go through with it.

It was alleged the mother had reportedly threatened not to pay their school fees should they refuse to be mutilated.

The minors are said to have reported the matter to Provincial Administration officials who did not take action. (Am not surprised because the authorities in Kenya take no action)

On the material day, their mother sought help from other women to lock them in the house so that they would not escape.

"We heard a commotion and came out in the darkness to find out what was happening," said a neighbour.

Marakwet Children’s Officer Peter Kutere declined to comment on the matter...(ooh I wonder why?)
Residents appealed to local DC John Ondego to intervene as many girls in the area were at risk of undergoing the illegal rite(Atrocity).

FORCED RITUAL

Forced mutilation continues unabated, despite the Government’s declaration that the ritual is illegal.

By last week, more than 20 underage girls had been forced to undergo the atrocious ritual in Kuria West and Kuria East districts.

And in Rift Valley(Where I come from so far Mashua voice for the voiceless international have rescued 66 girls they are safe and we never disclose the hideouts or even name names because it is so risky for the girls and our grass root rescuers aka(Snatchers) , hundreds of schoolgirls have been subjected to FGM’ in the past week.( so sad that the number have gone down but it feels so hopeless now:((..sometimes I just want to give up!! but I keep on moving one girl at a time..I pray if we could only save 100 girls by the end of year....

In Marakwet alone, reports indicate more than a thousand girls have undergone the outlawed rite, and hundreds more lined up for the mutilation before Christmas.

Last week, 42 girls were reported to have fled their homes due to forced mutilation in Marakwet West District.

In West Pokot, more than 200 girls have undergone the ‘FGM’ despite of the alternative rite of passage invention:(.

Residents say that in most instances, mutilation ceremonies are held at night away from prying eyes of rights activists, provincial administrators and the clergy.(I told you I know my people during the day they will put on a different face to impress a guest..wait the guest goes away and the night comes......

Fighting FGM by all means!
Ambassador Lucy .s .Mashua President of Mashua's voice for the voiceless International
Assisting refugees in the US and representation in advocasy
The Global Ambassador for fighting Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).