Female Genital Mutilation of Secondary School Students in Kapchorwa District, Uganda
- September 13, 2018
- Posted by: RSIS
- Category: Education
International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume II, Issue IX, September 2018 | ISSN 2454–6186
Female Genital Mutilation of Secondary School Students in Kapchorwa District, Uganda
Dr. Kayindu Vincent, Kamulegeya Siraje
Kampala International University, Uganda, East Africa
Abstract: – Carried out in Kapchorwa district of Uganda in the year 2017, the study investigated among other things, the extent to which Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) was practiced in Kapchorwa District of Uganda by the year 2017. The study employed a cross-sectional survey design with both quantitative and qualitative approaches, with a sample of 970 respondents all of whom were female students of S.4, S5 and S.6. They were chosen because circumcision among the Sabiny (Sebei) ethnic group who dominate Kapchorwa district is usually carried out to girls in the age group of 16-20 years. The respondents were got from 20 secondary schools which were classified as rural (nine schools) and urban (11 schools). The finding was that female genital mutilation was being practiced to a small extent; it had declined though not yet totally wiped out. Based on the above, it was recommended that there is need for the Government to continue sensitizing the masses about the dangers of that practice so that it can be wiped out completely.
Key words: Genital mutilation; constitution; education
I. INTRODUCTION
Uganda has a strong legal framework protecting the right to education as a fundamental human right enshrined in the 1995 Constitution. Uganda has signed and ratified several important regional and international conventions protecting the right to education, such as the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the Convention on Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. These provide a comprehensive set of good education policies that aim at ensuring education for all. Despite this, some cultural values, such as female genital mutilation are alleged to exist which tend to impact negatively on the girl child education (Okurut, 2014).
