The Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga has committed to wiping out Female Genital Mutilation-FGM from Uganda.
Kadaga said the that the practice is still common among the Karimojong, Pokot and Sabiny tribes is illegal.
The Speaker said that many girls and women who underwent FGM have dropped out of schools, been dehumanized, and have suffered deformed body parts which has led to breaking of their marriages.
FGM is the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia for non-therapeutic purposes. The FGM Act of 2010 makes the practice illegal and offenders’ risks imprisonment of between five to ten years or life in prison if aggravated.
Kadaga was on Sunday speaking during an interview from Gulu City during her visit to solicit votes to retain her seat as the NRM National Vice Chairperson for Women.
Kadaga, also the Kamuli woman member of parliament for the last three decades, said once elected she will use her tenure promote quality education, better health services, and women empowerment.
FGM is practiced among girls and women aged between 15-49. A 2018 report by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics put the number of females who have undergone FGM at 0.3%.
FGM is performed by older women commonly known as surgeons but with no medical training. The same report states that 80% of women want the practice to be stopped.
