TRANSFORMING SOCIO CULTURAL BERRIERS TO END FGM IN MANYARA
FGM/C is a cultural practice which has been in existence for generations, and is carried out on girls between the ages of 0 to 15 years. The practice is linked to the belief that women’s sexual desire needs to be controlled and it also has a socio-cultural identity.
The practice goes against basic human rights and is criminalized by several International, regional and national laws, covenants and their protocols.
Manyara is one of the leading regions in FGM practice in Tanzania (58%) due to cultural believes and traditional nature of residence in the region.
Hence, with support from Legal Service Facility (LSF), CSP is undertaking an intervention which aims at changing people’s behavior, attitude and practice over time from the most rooted and affected cultural areas in the region. The intervention targets young generation including school (Primary and Secondary) aged girls and boys, out of school youth, and middle-aged youth.
These groups are important at this point because they are the ones who needs to change their mind-set in respect to the belief that FGM/C should happen because it is a rite of passage from childhood to adulthood and that girls who undergo
FGM/C have a better chances to get into marriage easily.