WITH only a few months remaining before the next Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) season in Mara Region, Children's Dignity Forum (CDF), a non-governmental organisation, is intensifying campaigns in order to save schoolgirls from undergoing the cut.
The NGO conducted its latest anti-FGM public awareness campaign in the village of Mbogi Ward in Tarime District on Saturday.
The campaign reached several hundreds of primary schoolgirls who are at high risk of being subjected to the outdated harmful culture in December this year. Some are from Kitagutiti and Nyamaheheya primary school.
Government officials, including those responsible for protecting the rights of children, attended the event and vowed to deal with people who are reluctant to stop FGM.
The Mbogi Ward Executive Officer (WEO), Mr John Mundeba, declared zero tolerance for female circumcisers locally known as Ngariba who will dare to mutilate girls this time around.
He also warned that those who would attempt to mutilate girls would be arrested and face legal actions. "This time, we will be proactive in taking measures to prevent FGM acts in our ward," the WEO said.
The Mbogi Ward Education Coordinator, Mr Dickson Lang'o, said he would continue working closely with other village leaders to ensure that not a single girl's studies would be interrupted due to FGM or child marriage.
Mr Jovitus Alphonce from CDF, said their organisation would continue providing education that seeks to make Tarime an FGM and child marriage free zone.
The presence of the NGO in Tarime since 2009 has among other things seen formation of school and out of school clubs that help to combat FGM, child marriage and teenage pregnancies in the region, Tarime District being one of the key targeted areas.
Residents of Mbogi Ward welcomed the Saturday awareness campaign, saying that education on the effects of FGM was of paramount importance.
Speaking at the same occasion, Ms Siwema Sylvester, a social welfare officer in Tarime District, said the government was determined to continue working together with CDF and other partners to make FGM and other gender based violence acts a thing of the past.
CDF's anti-FGM campaigns are reportedly showing positive results, thanks to support from all partners. FGM is illegal according to the laws of the country but the practice is still widely embraced in some parts of the country.
Mara is rated as one of the five top FGM practising regions in the country.
