Child right defenders have sounded an alarm over a possible spike on threats facing young girls including Female Genital Mutilation and teenage pregnancies during this lengthy Christmas holiday and are now calling on government officials and parents to be extra vigilant to stem school dropouts in the New Year.

Speaking during the graduation of teenage girls who had undergone alternative rites of passage training in Doldol Town, Laikipia North Sub-county, community leaders warned that the triple threats, facing the girl-child remain prevalent, particularly in pastoral communities.

They noted that although reported cases of FGM appear to have declined significantly, perpetrators are increasingly adopting clandestine methods, to evade detection by law enforcement agencies.

Area Deputy County Commissioner, Samuel Osodo, said the government had introduced low-cost boarding schools, to accommodate vulnerable girls, including those who drop-out of school and teenage mothers, as part of efforts to address harmful cultural practices and improve access to education.

“We have a lot of issues affecting the girl-child, including school dropout. However, as the government, together with other education stakeholders, we have sensitized parents. One of the interventions we are implementing is the introduction of low-cost boarding schools to support girls whose families cannot afford to have them attend school daily,” said Osodo.

The event, organized by Action for Children in Conflict (AfCiC) and held at One More Day for Children, a rescue centre supporting young survivors of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), saw approximately 300 teenage girls from various primary schools in the region graduated after completing a week-long training and counselling programme.

The girls received certificates and hygiene kits upon completion of the programme, which seeks to empower them to resist FGM and make informed decisions about their lives.

Osodo said the initiative was part of broader efforts, to provide girls with alternatives to harmful traditional practices.

“We have organised several trainings for the girl-child, so that instead of getting involved in FGM, they have an alternative. The graduation of these 300 girls is one of those interventions,” he added.

AfCiC Programme Officer, Kennedy Njoroge, said the Organization had trained more than 700 girls in Laikipia North over the past three years on alternative rites of passage, children’s rights and ways of protecting themselves from sexual predators.

Njoroge said the interventions had contributed to increased awareness among girls, enabling them to recognize the dangers of FGM and report cases of abuse to relevant authorities.

“We have seen a significant drop in FGM cases since we started three years ago. Girls who encounter such incidents can now report them to authorities. They are also fully aware of the harm FGM causes to their bodies and understand that undergoing the cut is not a requirement for transitioning into womanhood,” he said.

Laikipia North, characterized by expansive and rugged terrain, remains among the areas facing challenges associated with teenage pregnancies and child marriages, with some parents continuing, to prioritize early marriages for their daughters at the expense of their education.

Despite interventions by government agencies and non-governmental organizations, over the years, efforts to eliminate harmful cultural practices, have recorded minimal progress.

Child rights advocates have consequently called for a change in approach, urging stakeholders to move beyond boardroom meetings and engage directly with communities at the grassroots level.

They say involving young people, women, elders and parents in developing community-driven solutions could accelerate efforts to eliminate FGM, teenage pregnancies and child marriages.

Meanwhile, recent data from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on the situation of girls and women indicates that approximately 21 per cent, equivalent to four million girls and women aged between 15 and 49 years in Kenya, have undergone some form of FGM.

The data further identifies girls and women from rural areas, poorer households and those with limited access to education, as being particularly vulnerable to the practice.

However, UNICEF reports that FGM prevalence has declined over the past three decades, reflecting progress made through awareness campaigns, legislation and community-led interventions.

Kenya has set 2030 as its target year for eliminating FGM, with stakeholders calling for strengthened collaboration between government agencies, communities and development partners, to protect girls and end the practice.

By Muturi Mwangi