Cross-border FGM, gold trade fuel early marriages, SGBV cases in Migori

At 21, Magdaline (not her real name) is already a mother of three. She was 16 when she was taken across the Kenya-Tanzania border and forced to undergo female genital mutilation (FGM).

“After the cut, I felt I was a mature person and could not go back to school. The only thing remaining was to get married and start a new life. I had dreams for my life, but everything changed,” she says.

Her story highlights how poverty, culture and cross-border movement leave girls in parts of Migori vulnerable to FGM, early marriage and SGBV.

According to the 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, FGM prevalence among the Kuria has been estimated at about 84 per cent, compared with 14.8 per cent nationally among women aged 15–49 

For Shadrack Nyabanande, Assistant Chief of Masaba Sub-Location, the border with Tanzania creates challenges as far as fighting FGM is concerned.

“The Kuria people live on both sides of the border. In December last year, we rescued eight girls who had been taken a cross the border to undergo FGM and returned them to school. Most of those affected are young girls, and poverty is often at the centre of these decisions,” he says.

In Nyatike, particularly around the gold-mining areas, the challenges are compounded by economic pressures. Families struggling to survive can see marriage to a gold miner as a way of securing a daughter's future, even as a second, third or fourth wife. 

Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO) in conjunction with Migori County Government is constructing a safe house in Macalder, Nyatike Sub-County, where survivors of SGBV will be able to access protection and support as they pursue justice.

Dr. Kennedy Odede, SHOFCO's founder and chief executive, says the decision to invest in Migori is rooted in the need to respond to the interconnected challenges of HIV, FGM, early childhood marriage, SGBV and teenage pregnancy affecting vulnerable girls and women across the South Nyanza region.

“We are investing in Migori because communities here deserve the same access to protection, justice and opportunity as communities anywhere else. The safe house will be a place where a survivor can find safety and a pathway to justice,” he says.

John Ombajo, Migori County Director of Gender and Children Service, says the facility will provide an important link between survivors, social services, law enforcement and the courts, particularly in cases where returning home would expose survivors to further violence.

“FGM among the Abakuria remains a serious concern because it is deeply connected to other forms of vulnerability, including early marriage and school dropout,” Ombajo says.

He adds: “Gold mining has changed the economic dynamics in some communities. A young man can leave school, make quick money and suddenly have the financial ability to start a family. The danger is when that money is used to lure schoolgirls into relationships that end in pregnancy and early marriage.” 

Ombajo credits SHOFCO for rolling out Rights of Children (ROC) clubs in schools, saying it has helped in making sure that children report harmful practices before they happen.

“We want children to understand that they have rights, and we want adults to understand that those rights cannot be negotiated away because of poverty and culture,” Ombajo says. 

Chrispine Oruo, Principal Magistrate at Rongo Law Courts, says one of the difficulties in handling SGBV cases is what happens to survivors after they report violence.

“A safe house gives survivors a place where they can be protected while the justice process takes its course. This is particularly important in incest cases, where the person accused of violence may be a member of the same family and the survivor may have nowhere else to go,” he says.

Juliet Ombogo, an Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) prosecutor at Rongo Law Courts, says survivor support has been critical in ensuring cases progress.

“We have had cases where survivors fail to come to court because of fear, family pressure, poverty or because they have returned to the environment where the violence occurred. SHOFCO has been helpful in supporting survivors to continue with their cases,” she says.

Ombogo says communities must resist the temptation to settle serious SGBV cases outside the justice system.

“Out-of-court settlements should not become a way of making violence disappear. Survivors should come forward and seek help. There are institutions and people who can support them through the justice process. ODPP and SHOFCO are some of them,” she says.

Dancun Osewe, Chair of Okongo Mining Site, says the gold trade is costing Macalder its children. 

 “Gold mining should improve lives, not destroy the future of our children. We are seeing children leaving school, getting into labour and being exposed to HIV. We need urgent awareness and stronger protection so that the wealth beneath our soil does not become a burden on the next generation,” he said. 

Jerine Ogot, SHOFCO case worker in Nyatike Sub-County, says awareness campaigns are helping survivors understand that they do not have to remain silent.

“We have been creating awareness so that women and girls know where to go and what support is available to them,” she says.

She adds: “In the gold-mining areas, we see cases where economic desperation exposes girls and women to exploitation. We also have situations where sex is exchanged for fish, while FGM continues to expose girls to early marriage and other forms of violence.”

Magdaline now wants her three children to have opportunities she never had.

“I cannot change what happened to me, but I can hope that my children will have a different life. I hope other young girls will not go through what I went through,” she says.