Keyang Tipin
Care for Girls Foundation
Access to quality education, mentorship, and menstrual hygiene products as as a tool to eliminate female genital mutilation or cutting, early marriage and gender based violence in Cheposekek, West Pokot County, Kenya.
Background
FGM/C
21% of women and girls between 15-49 years old (11% of girls 15-19 years old) have undergone FGM/C in Kenya.
Early Marriage
23% of girls in Kenya enter marriages under the legal marriage age of 18 years old. FGM/C is usually a precursor of marriage for girls.
Period Poverty
95% of menstruating girls miss 1-3 days of school due to lack of access to menstrual hygiene products.
FGM/C and Early Marriage
Female genital mutilation or cutting (FGM/C) describes procedures that involve the partial or total removal removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female organs. FGM/C is internationally recognized as a violation of the human and rights of women and girls, yet more than 230 million women and girls alive today have undergone FGM/C. Africa accounts for more than 144 million of these women and girls. The practice has no health benefits. In fact, health complications due to FGM/C can lead to severe bleeding, problems urinating, cysts, infections, and complications during childbirth and increased risk of newborn deaths. Treatment of health complications is estimated to cost health systems US$1.4 billion per year.
FGM is mostly performed on young girls between infancy and adolescence and more than 3 million girls are estimated to be at risk of FGM annually. In Kenya, 3 out of 4 girls who experience FGM do so before the age of 14. The reasons FGM is performed vary from region to region. In Cheposekek, West Pokot County, Kenya, FGM is considered a way to prepare a girl for adulthood and marriage. Globally, 1 in 5 women are married before their 18th birthday and nearly half of married women lack decision-making power over their sexual and reproductive health and rights. At the current rate, it would take 300 years to end child marriage.
To combat this, laws in Kenya protect women and girls from FGM and child marriage. The Children's Act became law in Kenya in 2001. The Scull Offences Act, 3006, the Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation Act, 2011, and the Marriage Act, 2014, set the age of marriage at 18 years and protect girls from FGM/C. However, the gap between legislation and implementation of these laws is apparent. In Kenya, 23% of girls are married before the age of 18 and 11% of girls 15-19 years old have undergone FGM/C. To help close this gap, the Pokot community has made a public declaration on the abandonment of FGM.
FGM/C and Early Marriage
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Period Poverty
Period poverty is the struggle many low-income women and girls face while trying to afford menstrual products. In Kenya, 65% of women cannot afford the basic necessities to manage their periods. A study found that 95% of menstruating girls misses 1 to 3 days of school. Period poverty has a direct impact on how women and girls can participate in society, ultimately affecting how they can enjoy their fundamental human rights.
In 2017, the Kenyan government passed the Basic Education Act amendment to provide free and quality sanitary towels in government schools. However, barriers to girls' and women's ability to access menstrual products and proper sanitation facilities continue to cause girls to miss school. In additional to a continued lack of access to menstrual products in both government and private schools, stigma surrounding menstruation affects girls’ basic knowledge of sexual and reproductive health. Only 50% of girls openly discuss menstruation at home and 2 out of 3 pad users in rural Kenya receive them from sexual partners. Additionally, 1 in 4 girls does not associate menstruation with pregnancy. Eradicating period poverty includes actively addressing the stigma surrounding menstruation.
The most commonly used menstrual product worldwide is the disposable menstrual pad. Disposable pads can contain up to 90% plastic, which can take 500-800 years to break down in landfills. Packaging from disposable menstrual products also cause a considerable amount of waste and can affect the health of our oceans and waterways. Considering the environment while tackling period poverty is imperative, especially when taking into account that environment and poverty are closely related. It is well known that people living in poverty bear the brunt of the effects of environmental damage and climate change. Reusable menstrual products create less of a burden on the environment and are available as reusable pads, period underwear and pants and menstrual cups.
Conclusion
FGM/C and Early Marriage
Understanding what drives change in how people think about FGM/C is key in eradicating the practice. Education has proven to be a protective factor against FGM/C and child marriage. In Kenya, 13% of girls whose mothers did not have any formal education underwent FGM/C, while only 1% of girls whose mothers completed primary education underwent FGM/C. A woman's likelihood of being cut also decreases with an increase in her own education level. Education can foster questioning and discussion and can allow young girls to take on social roles that are not dependent on the practice of FGM for acceptance. A study also found that a formal education could replace FGM/C as a source for status, respect and adulthood. Offering financing and programs that actively support girls' education journeys and opportunities for finishing a basic education can mitigate the risk of being pulled out of school for FGM/C and early marriage.
Period Poverty
More needs to be done to ensure that every school aged girl can mange her menstrual cycle with dignity. Age appropriate sexual and reproductive health education and information about menstrual hygiene must accompany menstrual product distribution when combating period poverty in schools. While many women and girls around the world do not have the luxury of choice when it comes to period products, providing education and access to culturally acceptable reusable menstrual products is key to combatting period poverty and protecting the environment.
Recommendations
Ensure access to quality education for high school girls
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Work closely with community members to identify girls at risk of FGM/C, GBV, and early marriage
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Provide full tuition for girls to attend high school
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Parents/ guardians and girls sign an agreement that states they will stay in school and parents/ guardians will not pull them out for FMG or early marriage
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Ensure a safe space for girls who cannot go home during breaks if they believe their family will marry them off or perform FGM
Provide mentorship and trainings
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Quarterly mentoring sessions to keep girls in school and to discuss sensitive topics including FGM, GBV, early marriage, and menstrual hygiene
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Quarterly trainings to provide girls with skills to be financially independent during breaks
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Partner with members of the community to educate and discuss FGM, GBV, early marriage, and importance of education girls
Tackle period poverty by providing menstrual hygiene products for all girls in partnering schools
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Provide all girls in Keep Pokot Girls in School Mentorship Program a year's supply of menstrual hygiene products
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Distribute menstrual hygiene products to girls in School and Community Education Program
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Educate on sexual and reproductive health, menstrual hygiene, reusable menstrual products and period stigma
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Host local pad drives to engage community members and educate on period poverty