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July 25, 2008 11:27:07 AM CDT

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Slowly Changing Painful Customs

Posted Mar 14, 08 7:46 PM CDT in Science & Health,  World 

(Newser) – The practice of female circumcision has been twice banned in Kenya, but nearly 40% of young women still undergo the painful and dangerous rite of passage into married life. The Christian Science Monitor profiles activists at the Tasaru Girls Rescue Center who work with villagers—using role models, lessons about womanhood and hygiene, and most of all, patience—to chip away at the deeply rooted rite. 

"Changing people’s attitudes is not like cut-and-paste on a computer," said one activist. "It takes time." Tasaru also gives shelter and education to girls who run away to avoid the procedure, which can cause miscarriages and maternal deaths. The practice, also called female genital mutilation, is common throughout the Horn of Africa and the Middle East, even in wealthier and well-educated societies.

Source Christian Science Monitor

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Hundreds of Egyptian girls protest the death of a girl during illegal circumcision in Egypt. The practice is a common rite of passage throughout the Horn of Africa and the Middle East.   (AP Photo/Mamdouh Thabet)
A Kenyan mother, shown here, says she will continue female circumcisions even after her daughter ran away and sued her. The practice is common even in a well-off and well-educated country like Kenya.   (KRT Photos)
Female circumcision remains common in Kenya, where it is seen as a rite of passage into marriage. An HIV-positive Kenyan woman is shown in this file photo with her husband and children.   (Magnum Photos)
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Africa  • Kenya  • women's rights  • human rights activists  • female genital mutilation  • female circumcision


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