Rugged terrain hampers fight against FGM in Karamoja, Sebei
The fight against the outlawed practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Karamoja and Sebei sub-regions is reportedly still getting resistance among conservative cultural leaders living in the rugged terrains.
Following a week-long engagement among elders, youth, and religious leaders organized by Action Aid in Soroti, David Mande, a youth activist from Kween district has noted that in many villages located in rugged terrain, the traditional surgeons in such areas still have the leverage to carry on with the practice because of limited accessibility.
Mande says such rugged terrain means the anti-FGM crusaders are only able to reach communities with fair accessibility while those with rough terrain remain isolated hubs where others visit to be cut by cultural surgeons.
He urges government to address the issue of accessibility if this vice is to be wiped out.
FGM is the practice that involves the removal of the external female genitalia, which according to traditionalists is thought, to work to control the sexual urge of women.
In Uganda, it is highly practiced among the Pokot speakers in Amudat district, the Tepeth in Moroto, and the Sabiny in Sebei region.
