A Kenyan doctor has filed a case in the country’s high court seeking to have female genital mutilation legalized in the east African nation.
Dr Tatu Kamau told the Daily Nation that women should have the choice to decide what to do with their own bodies and not be conformed to laws that do otherwise.
She was quoted as saying that “Much as we want to protect the girl, there are many women who have been harassed and jailed in the last three years. Once you reach adulthood there is no reason why you should not make that decision.”
Dr Kamau told the court on Wednesday that his case is not roping in young girls but rather women, with the aim of seeking that they maintain absolute right to their bodies and what they do with them.
She said the “campaign is only meant to safeguard the dignity and rights of the woman”.
“While filing my petition I didn’t have the girl child I mind but only wanted to touch on the issues of adult women,” Dr. Kamau added.
Female genital mutilation has been banned in most African countries due to the physical and psychological impact on victims.
But Dr. Kamau who is launching this latest advocacy told journalists, according to The Daily Nation that “Female circumcision is practised differently from one community to another, but it can be made safe. It is a minor surgical procedure that does not require anaesthesia or being put into a theatre.”
Source: Africafeeds.com
