Breaking the Chains - Early marriages and Female genital mutilation in East Africa

East Africa still faces two deeply entrenched harmful practices that continue to violate the rights and dignity of women and girls this community. Forced marriages and female genital mutilation have been two practices that governments have been trying to eliminate to protect women and girls. Despite efforts to eliminate these practices it has been hard because of cultural factors like patriarchal traditions, poverty, and misconceptions about female sexuality social status and religion. Th blog will explore the current situation of these harmful practices in East Africa, highlighting both the challenges and progress being made through grassroots activism and policy reforms.

Forced marriage often involving girls under the age of 18 who cannot give consent. In East Africa, this practice remains widespread despite laws put in place. Somalia has the highest percentage of 45 percent, Ethiopia at 40%, Uganda 34% and Tanzania at 31%.

FGM involves the partial or total removal of external female genitalia or other injury to female genital organs for non-medical reasons. The prevalence varies significantly across East Africa with Somalia having they the world's highest FGM prevalence at 98%, Ethiopia at 65%, Kenya 21% and Tanzania at 10%.

Kenya’s Community-Led Alternative Rites of Passage

Kenya's Anti-FGM Board, established through the Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation Act of 2011, has partnered with grassroots organisations to promote alternative rites of passage (ARP) that preserve cultural celebrations marking the transition to womanhood without harmful cutting practices.  For instance, in Kajiado County, the Maasai community has seen significant progress through the efforts of organisations like AMREF Health Africa and their "Nice Day" alternative ceremonies. These events include traditional aspects of coming-of-age celebrations—songs, dances, and community gatherings to celebrate while eliminating cutting.

"Before we started the Alternative Rite of Passage program in 2009, nearly 85% of girls in our community underwent cutting. Today, that number has fallen below 25%," says Linet Momposhi, a community health worker and former circumciser who now champions alternatives. "Girls still learn about their heritage and values, but now they also learn about their rights and the importance of education."

The success of Kenya's approach stems from engaging entire communities, including traditional leaders, religious authorities, and men and boys, rather than targeting only the women who perform the cuts or the girls themselves.

Ethiopia’s Legal Reform and Economic Empowerment

Ethiopia has taken strong legal action against both practices, with the revised Criminal Code of 2005 criminalising both FGM and child marriage and the establishment of the National Strategy and Action Plan on Harmful Traditional Practices against Women and Children.

The Berhane Hewan ("Light for Eve") program in the Amhara region addresses child marriage by combining community awareness, girls' mentoring, economic incentives, and school supplies. Families who commit to keeping their daughters unmarried and in school during the two-year program receive a goat upon completion, an economic asset that offsets the perceived financial benefits of early marriage.

"When we started, many parents saw delaying marriage as an economic burden," explains Dr. Annabel Erulkar, who helped design the program. "The incentive helps families see the value in girls' education, while the mentoring gives the girls confidence to advocate for their futures."

The program has reduced child marriage by up to 94% in participating communities. Girls in the program were three times more likely to remain in school compared to their peers in control communities.

Somalia’s Religious Leaders as Change Agents

Somalia presents one of the most challenging cases for eliminating these practices, with near-universal FGM prevalence and deeply entrenched cultural and religious beliefs. A breakthrough approach has been engaging religious leaders to challenge the widespread misconception that FGM is required by Islam. The Religious Leaders' Advocacy Programme, supported by UNFPA and led by Sheikhs and Imams, clarifies that FGM has no basis in Islamic texts and contradicts Islamic principles of preventing harm.

"Many people believed this was a religious obligation, but nothing in our holy books supports mutilating girls," states Sheikh Ibrahim Hassan from Mogadishu. "When people hear this message from respected religious authorities, it changes their perspective entirely."

In communities where religious leaders have spoken out, the shift toward less severe forms of cutting represents an intermediate step toward total elimination. The proportion of girls undergoing the most severe form (infibulation) has decreased from 80% to approximately 30% in intervention areas.

Tanzania’s Safe Houses and Girls' Empowerment

In Tanzania's Mara Region, the Masanga Centre provides refuge for girls fleeing FGM and forced marriage, particularly during the cutting season (November-December). The centre combines immediate protection with education, legal support, and family mediation.

"When I first arrived, I was terrified and thought my life was over," says Neema, now 18, who escaped cutting three years ago. "But here I found not just safety but opportunity. I'm now preparing for university to study law, so I can help other girls like me."

The centre’s approach includes reconciliation efforts that allow many girls to eventually return to their communities as agents of change. Girls who cannot safely return are supported through completion of their education. Jean Lokenye, the centre’s director has emphasised the importance of education: "Girls who complete secondary school are 80% less likely to undergo cutting and 92% less likely to marry early. Education is the single most powerful intervention we have."

The consequences of these harmful practices extend far beyond the immediate physical trauma.

FGM can cause immediate complications including severe pain, excessive bleeding, infection, and even death. Others are childbirth complications, painful intercourse and psychological trauma.

Eradication of forced marriage and FGM requires coordinated action at multiple levels.

Governments need to strengthen the laws put in place and more education programs on the negative impacts. Communities should challenge harmful social norms through open dialogue and community conversations, develop alternative rites of passage that preserve cultural celebrations without harmful elements, engage traditional and religious leaders as champions for change and support victims.

Significant progress is being made with communities, governments and international partners coming together to fight these practices. The UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation has developed evidence-based interventions to curb early marriages and FGM at community levels. All East African countries have put in place laws against FGM and child marriage, though enforcement varies significantly. Kenya's Anti-FGM Board represents a model of dedicated institutional infrastructure to implement laws. Others like Tanzania have opted for School-Based Protection centres for girls.

The elimination of forced marriage and FGM in East Africa is not impossible it is already underway, from community halls in rural Kenya to parliamentary chambers in Ethiopia, religious schools in Somalia to digital platforms connecting activists across the region, the movement to end these harmful practices is gaining momentum.

This vision requires unwavering commitment from all sectors of society. It demands that we listen to and amplify the voices of survivors and community activists who have been leading this work for decades. It requires acknowledging the complex cultural contexts of these practices without accepting cultural relativism as an excuse for inaction on clear human rights violations. Most importantly, it requires believing in the possibility of change, even for practices that have persisted for generations. The evidence from communities across East Africa shows that when girls are valued, when traditions are questioned, and when communities come together to envision new possibilities, transformative change is not only possible but inevitable.

The time for that change is now.

If you know anyone who is at the risk of FGM or in a forced marriage report to relevant authorities.