President William Ruto has urged Kenyan men to take initiative and shield women from the menace of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
Addressing the audience during the launch of the G7 strategy to enhance women’s leadership in devolved units, Ruto emphasized the crucial role of men as champions against FGM, highlighting its adverse effects on women’s well-being.
“Men should be champions against FGM because you know what it is. FGM destroys everything that would be good in a woman,” said Ruto.
“I know we have set targets on the subject of FGM. I want to tell men to come forward and protect our women from FGM even if it is for selfish reasons. FGM destroys women, makes them less confident, less effective and creates many challenges,” he added.
Expressing further concern, the President highlighted alarming statistics on early pregnancies, emphasizing the necessity to address the underlying issues contributing to the challenge.
He extended his plea to both male and female leaders, urging them to collaborate in safeguarding children, especially girls, from the adverse impacts of FGM, early marriages, and early pregnancies.
“I am asking women leaders as I do men leaders to work in concert all of us to protect our children, especially from FGM, early marriages, and early pregnancies because it is destroying the future of many of our children,” Ruto implored.
The Kenyan Demographic & Health Survey (KDHS) data for 2022 reveals that the prevalence of FGM in the country is 15%, indicating that 15% of girls and women aged 15 to 49 years have undergone circumcision.
