Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook
Guy Buys $123 Safe on eBay, Finds $26,000 Inside Seller tries to get half the cash back, fails »

Slowly Changing Painful Customs

Kenya group develops alternatives to female circumcision

By Ambreen Ali,  Newser User

Posted Mar 14, 2008 7:46 PM CDT
Email

(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.

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.
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.
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.
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)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Be the first to comment on this story.

Factsheet on female circumcision
World Health Organization

More on Tasaru Girls Rescue Center
Feminenza.org

 
Africa • Kenya • women's rights • female circumcision • female genital mutilation • Tasaru Girls Rescue Center • human rights activists

More Newser Stories

Mukasey Steps Into Genital Mutilation Case

Ethiopia: 4.5M Need Food Aid

Famed Man-Eating Lions Not That Hungry: Scientists

CDC Must Stop Advocating Circumcision

Scandinavia Battles Genital Mutilation
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne