Bomet County Unveils Initiative To Fight FGM, GBV

BOMET, Kenya, Jul, 3 – Bomet County Commissioner, Beverly Opwora, has launched the Generation Equality Forum (GEF), which will act as a roadmap for advancing gender equality and ending all forms of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in the County.

The launching workshop drew stakeholders from different parts of the County and the community, with a view to discussing and coming up with an action plan laid by GEF on ending FGM and GBV in the region.

Generation Equality is an international platform that seeks to accelerate the implementation of the gender equality commitments as outlined in the Beijing declaration and platform for the action of 1995, in order to achieve transformative change.

Kenya is co-leading the Gender-Based Violence action coalition alongside other countries. As a co-leader of the initiative, the government of Kenya seeks to leverage the generation equality platform as an opportunity to recommit to ending all forms of GBV and FGM.

Opwora urged the Gender and the Children’s Departments to work alongside each other, in the war against what she termed as retrogressive practices.

She also emphasized that the government is putting more effort in coming up with programs, which are meant to end GBV and therefore encouraged all bodies to collaborate and integrate their programs for a common goal.

“To fight FGM and GBV, we only need to use the available resources because resources can never be enough. As a government we are committed to coming up with programs to bring to an end the two vices,” she reiterated.

Opwora further noted that defilement cases have recently gone down significantly countrywide, and applauded the Judiciary and the public for their cooperation and hard work, stating that everyone has an equal opportunity to make an impact.

“We have been bestowed with an opportunity to make an impact. I am glad that we are now focusing on these issues that are dragging us behind,” she added.

The County Executive for Social Service and Gender Affairs, Alice Kirui, noted that education forums on FGM can help in the suppression of this vice as it sensitizes people in the society.

“Things have changed and the current challenge is that women who are already married are becoming victims which is very wrong. Lack of knowledge, information and empowerment are the major causes, but we are working on this so as to encourage them to speak up,” said Kirui.