By 
08-05-2026 | Alexa Sporner | Asia Team Researcher, Global Human Rights Defence.
Although FGM have been banned in Kenya for more than a decade, the country still faces challenges in enforcing the ban. Survivors of the harmful procedure now advocate for prioritising the victims and their protections.
Survivors of female genital mutilation (FGM) in Kenya are advocating for a victim-centred approach in providing justice. Through the AfyAfrica organisation, they are advocating for stronger protection for victims of FGM, and they are actively challenging the practice by providing a safe space for the victims to share their experiences and to connect with other survivors.
According to the United Nations Population Fund, approximately 21% of women and young girls have gone under the harmful practice in Kenya, and according to the FGM/C Research Initiative FGM shows a declining tendency in the country.
In Kenya, FGM has been banned since 2011 [PDF], when the Kenyan government introduced the Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation Act, which criminalised the practice. However, the enforcement of FGM still remains a challenge in the country, due to the social and cultural traditions, and the increasing number of medical cases of FGM.
According to the United Nations Women, many survivors have been actively involved in the advocacy against FGM, and they seek healing through community support and counselling. They also focus on shifting the community’s view on FGM, and turning the social expectations to an anti-FGM view. The UN Women also shows how engaging men in the fight against the practice is essential, and their attitudes and opinions on FGM rapidly shift after being exposed to the reality of the practice.
However, FGM is not only a problem in Kenya. According to the Orchid Project, Female Genital Mutilation is a global health emergency, as well as a human rights violation that leads to severe physical and psychological damage, and it is affecting approximately 230 million girls worldwide.
According to UNICEF, it is important to provide awareness and to engage with the local community about the harms of the practice, as well as to advance girls’ education to prevent and end FGM. Additionally, UNICEF emphasised the importance of providing medical care and psychological support to those girls and women who have undergone the practice.
