FGM practitioners demand income generating projects Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) practitioners in Sebei region have asked the Government to provide them with alternative sources of income if the illegal practice is to stop. Girl being mutilated. This is according to a study commissioned by Westminster Foundation for Democracy on six CEDAW (Convention on Elimination of Discrimination Against Women) related legislation conducted in Gulu, Nwoya, Bukwo and Kapchorwa. Presenting the findings to Members of Parliament at a workshop at Imperial Royale Hotel, Everse Ruhindi, a consultant, said the people who carry out FGM in Bukwo and Kapchorwa said that if they are not given alternative sources of income, the practice would continue. The objectives of the study were to ascertain the rates of women’s rights abuses/violations, assess interventions to address the abuses and violations, identify areas for capacity building for local councillors and to establish the level of knowledge of CSOs and local councilors on CEDAW and its implementation in Uganda. The legislation considered included the Domestic Violence Act, 2010, the Land Act amended 2004, the Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation Act, 2010, the Equal Opportunities Act, 2007, the Prevention of the Trafficking in Persons Act. 2009, and the Employment Act, 2010. Under the FGM Act, it is an offence to carry out FGM and a person who does so, is liable, on conviction to imprisonment not exceeding 10 years. Ruhindi said that from the study, 85 % of the respondents were aware of the law on FGM but due to strong attachment to preserving cultural belief in the practice they have not fully understood the implications of acting against the law. She said that in Kapchorwa people observed that they had not perpetrators of the crime being arrested despite their continued undertakings. She observed that the Police do their role, but that in court, having witness to testify was a challenge as majority of the community members believe that it’s a taboo to oppose culture. She further observed that cultural attachment to male circumcision is still a very strong and has implications for FGM because a man can only preside over such ceremonies only if his wife genitalia is cut. In northern Uganda, 58% of the respondents said they were aware of the Domestic Violence Act 2010, but have never read or been educated about the law, the consultant said. From the study a female councilor from Bobi Sub County, Gulu district said, “How can you counsel a victim when your own face is swollen?” On the Land Act, she said, 80% of the women reported that in case of land sale their consent or signature is needed but many times the husbands manipulate them and the money received is not planned for or utilised jointly. From the study, 10% percent of the widows talked to partly knew their rights but without the consent of the immediate family and the clan no action could be taken to enable them access justice or utilize the land. Ninety percent reported that when land is distributed to the sons in the family, the clan leadership takes lead while the mother and daughters are not consulted and their opinions and desires are not considered. The people interviewed asked Parliament to tackle the problem of high rate of girls dropping out from upper primary school in the region. They also wanted to know how women MPs are supporting women in the oil and gas rich Nwoya district. They also asked Parliament to popularize the laws passed to insure that an average woman is helped to know and exercise her rights. Debating the report, MPs stressed the need for government to handle the issue of FGM together with Uganda’s neighbours and the need to make education compulsory so as to retain girls in school. By Joyce Namutebi, The New Vision
Posted on: Fri, 05 Dec 2014 08:26:41 +0000
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