Chapter 7. The Sudanese National Committee on the Eradication of Harmful Traditional Practices and the Campaign Against Female Genital Mutilation

[Female initiation rite is one of the many traditional practices found in some African communities. The many rituals during this time of initiation include female circumcision/female genital mutilation, a socially justified mark of maturation, dramatizing the break with childhood and incorporation into adulthood. This practice has received much criticism because of sexist, health, and human implications for woman's integrity. Christian missionaries to Africa condemned it as a barbaric practice, unnecessary for its believers. In spite of condemnations and various efforts to stop the practice, female circumcision persists among a number of Africans including Christians. The author here examines the gospel message, especially what Christ's salvific message means to the Nandi culture, and especially how the practice of female circumcision can be reinterpreted in the light of this message.]

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Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic on Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting and Child, Early or Forced Marriages in Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia and Senegal

10.21203/rs.3.rs-690662/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Tammary Esho ◽

Dennis J. Matanda ◽

Timothy Abuya ◽

Sintayehu Abebe ◽

Yeshitila Hailu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Female Genital Mutilation ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Talk Shows ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Genital Mutilation ◽

Alternative Approaches ◽

Women And Girls ◽

Harmful Traditional Practices ◽

Depth Interviews ◽

Female Genital

Abstract Background The effects of COVID-19 on harmful traditional practices such Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) and Child, Early or Forced Marriages (CEFM) have not been well documented. We examined how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected FGM/C and CEFM in Kenya, Uganda, Senegal, and Ethiopia. Methods A cross-sectional study design with a mixed methods approach was used. Household surveys targeting women and men aged 15–49 years in Kenya (n = 312), Uganda (n = 278), Ethiopia (n = 251), and Senegal (n = 208) were conducted. Thirty-eight in-depth interviews with programme implementers and policymakers were carried out in Kenya (n = 17), Uganda (n = 9), Ethiopia (n = 8), and Senegal (n = 4). Results In Kenya, the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to the increase in both FGM/C and CEFM cases. Minimal increase of FGM/C cases was reported in Uganda and a significant increase in CEFM cases. In Ethiopia, the COVID-19 pandemic had a limited effect on changes in FGM/C and CEFM. In Senegal, there were minimal effects of COVID-19 on the number of FGM/C and CEFM cases. The pandemic has negatively affected implementation of interventions by the justice and legal system, the health system, and civil societies. Conclusions The pandemic has had varied effects on FGM/C and CEFM across the four countries. Across the four countries, the pandemic has negatively affected implementation of interventions by the various sectors that are responsible for preventing and responding to FGM/C and CEFM. This calls for innovative approaches in intervening in the various communities to ensure that women and girls at risk of FGM/C and CEFM or in need of services are reached during the pandemic. Evidence on how effective alternative approaches such as the use of call centres, radio talk shows and the use of local champions as part of risk communication in preventing and responding to FGM/C and CEFM amid COVID-19 is urgently required.

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The Plight of Street Children and Juvenile Delinquency in Urban Tanzania: A Review of Literature

Journal of Sociology and Social Anthropology ◽

10.31901/24566764.2020/11.3-4.343 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (3-4) ◽

Author(s):

Sister Jeston Shitindi

Keyword(s):

Juvenile Delinquency ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Female Genital Mutilation ◽

Street Children ◽

Traditional Practices ◽

Review Of Literature ◽

Family Ties ◽

Genital Mutilation ◽

Aids Epidemic ◽

Female Genital

ABSTRACT Tanzania as a developing country has been experiencing worsening impacts of the street children phenomenon in practically all its rapidly growing urban areas. Based on the review of literature, the causes of street children include general poverty, loss of family ties (due to polygamy, separation between parents), some unwelcome traditional practices (such as forced marriages, female genital mutilation), and the HIV/AIDS epidemic affecting families. In the street the children have worse living conditions since they have nowhere to live, no food and no protection. In a bid to fend for themselves they end up engaging in juvenile delinquency, causing havoc to the society. Therefore, a more detailed research is required and all stakeholders should pull their resources together so as to obtain a sustainable solution for the street children phenomenon in the country.

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Culture as an Impediment to Socio-Economic Development in Henry Ole Kulet’s Blossoms of the Savannah

International Journal of Literature, Language and Linguistics ◽

10.52589/ijlll-riyjll5c ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 42-52

Author(s):

Violet Nasambu Barasa

Keyword(s):

Economic Development ◽

Female Genital Mutilation ◽

Cultural Practices ◽

Traditional Practices ◽

Cultural Economic ◽

Genital Mutilation ◽

Socio Economic Development ◽

Long Term Impact ◽

And Behavior ◽

Female Genital

This paper examines how Maasai traditional cultural practices and beliefs in Ole Kulet‘s novel Blossoms of the Savannah hinder socio-economic development. The cultural practices that incumber socio-economic progress has implication on both the immediate Maasai community (as illustrated through Nasila village) and the society at large. In most societies in Africa, traditional and cultural practices inform and influence the daily experiences and behavior of its people. Early marriages and female genital mutilation are practiced in a number of communities across the African continent in countries such as Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Guinea among others. One of this communities is the Maasai community in Kenya which is the physical setting of Blossoms of the savannah. Some traditional practices among the Maasai are detrimental as is evident in the long-term impact on the psychological, physical and the general wellbeing of its members. This paper focuses on the intertwinement of early marriages, female genital mutilation (FGM), and patriarchy and how they impact the socio-economic development in the society. Early marriages and female genital mutilation practices are socio-economically retrogressive in a 21st century society. These traditional practices and customs have roots in the social, cultural, economic, historical and political discourse encapsulated within the patriarchal structures and realized through gender inequality. This paper therefore focuses on how the traditional practices impede the realization of development in the Maasai community as advanced in Blossoms of the Savannah.

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