Samburu women match against gender violence, FGM

The County Government of Samburu has launched 16 days of awareness against gender violence and female genital mutilation (FGM) across the region.

Led by Severina Lesangurikuri, a woman activist, the women urged members of the community to report cases of gender violence and FGM to the necessary authorities in order to eliminate the vices.

The women took to the streets to demonstrate against violence carrying placards with the words “prevent violence against women.”

Lesangurikuri remarked that violence against women and girls should be stopped and urged girls to report anyone who attempts to take them through FGM to the relevant authorities.

According to the activists, about 60 per cent of girls drop out of school especially after the December holidays due to early marriage and underage pregnancies.

“Samburu women have been marginalised by their men for a long time,” Lesangurikuri said.

According to Samburu tradition, women do not own property and should take part in leadership. Moreover, whenever a woman addresses a meeting she speaks while seated.

Senei Leseto, a woman leader in the community, asked women to speak out when subjected to violence.

“FGM and early marriages should be reported so as to give our people a platform to air their issues, especially on gender based violence,” said Leseto.

Poline Lenguris, another woman activist based in Maralal noted: “Samburu women have been denied their rights for a long time, especially in politics.”

She added that an improvement had been noted, with many girls being sent to school unlike before where boys were the only ones going to school.

Previously, an activist called for an end to the “evil and horrendous” sexual enslavement of children among northern pastoralist communities, a practice that often leads to unwanted pregnancies, forced abortions and infanticide.

In a tradition known as “beading”, men from the Samburu and Rendille communities give young girls a large red bead necklace that effectively books them for sex, said Josephine Kulea who runs the Samburu Girls Foundation to rescue girls at risk.

“It’s wrong, it’s evil. The girls have no choice. It’s sexual enslavement and a violation of the child’s rights,” said Kulea on the sidelines of the Trust Women conference on women’s rights and trafficking run by the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

“Some girls when they refuse to accept the necklace are beaten up. Some girls die during crude abortions,” added Kulea, 30, who has received death threats for her work to end beading, child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM).

Although FGM is illegal in Kenya, it is almost universal among the Samburu community who see it as a pre-requisite for marriage. Early marriage is also common.