Cross border Anti-FGM campaigners have developed a digital tracking system for tracking and reporting FGM activities in Kenya and Tanzania.
According to multiple Anti-FGM campaign seminars held at the Kenyan-Tanzania border previously and especially in Migori county, it was found that the local community are willing to cooperate with the police in sharing information but they fear being exposed and hence putting risking their lives.
Speaking during a cross border milestone assessment between Anti-FGM activists in Kenya and Tanzania, Ms Rose Nazali from People’s Development Forum, PDF an organization based in Tanzania, they have developed an online digital platform that will be used to track and report any incident of FGM activity within the community.
The system will not only help in reporting the vice but will also keep the reporter anonymous.
In addition, this system will report the exact location and time of the day where the activity is taking place. This will also help the law enforcers to maneuver very swiftly to the scene without raising any alarm.
The system is already up and running in neighboring Tanzania and can be accessed using a mobile phone. Although it is yet to be launched and implemented on the Kenyan side.
Vincent Mwita from Tunaweza Organization noted that despite championing for the end of FGM the main challenge that poses threat is the existence of cutters who are reformed within the local community, who believes that cutting is the only income-generating activity for them.
He urged the government and other private sectors to come in and offer an alternative source of livelihoods to the reformed.
Charles Olwambo from AMREF noted that they have been immensely invested in cross-boundary community engagement as it is a key to ending FGM along the borderline.
Olwambo cited the porous border, spread Kuria clan elders in two countries and the disunity between the clan elders are other key challenging issues that are stumbling the Anti- FGM campaign.
