This archive report was first published on 19 December 2019.
On December 19, 2019, a medical doctor testified before a Kenyan court that female genital mutilation (FGM) has no medical benefits and causes lifelong scars and pains.
Dr. Guyo Jaldesa, an expert in obstetrics and gynecology, was brought by the government to testify in a case where Tatu Kamau is seeking to overturn the anti-FGM law.
Dr. Jaldesa, who comes from a community that practices FGM, stated that the practice is not necessary to initiate girls into womanhood and that it is a harmful practice that no doctor can justify.
He explained that FGM involves mutilating a woman's sexual organ, which is different from male circumcision, and that it is a very painful experience for girls who are subjected to it.
According to Dr. Jaldesa, five out of 100 children born by mothers who have undergone FGM die as a result of health complications brought by the practice.
Dr. Kamau, on the other hand, argues that banning FGM was to adorn Western culture and consider local practices as inferior, and wants the court to declare the FGM Act unconstitutional.
