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{
    "id": 1031323,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1031323/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 278,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Siaya CWR, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr.) Christine Ombaka",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1007,
        "legal_name": "Christine Oduor Ombaka",
        "slug": "christine-oduor-ombaka"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Speaker, for giving me this chance to contribute to this Female Genital Mutilation that we have been fighting for many years. It is not the first time it has come to this House. We have so many harmful cultural practices that women go through. Female Genital Mutilation is one of them. There are early marriages, domestic violence and so on. They are so many, but this one touches on one’s heart. Just look at the title FGM – Female Genital Mutilation. Mutilation as an English word proves that there is something very wrong with this. You cannot mutilate bodies. It is horrifying. That is why that must go. We have been told over and over again about the harmful consequences of FGM, but they continue to practise it. Dr. Nyikal, I think you have really expressed yourself so well. I was just in tears as you described it because it is so painful from just being told. I do not come from a community that practices it but I have friends who come from those communities. They talk to us. They tell us the challenges they go through—emotionally, physically and socially. It is horrifying. It is our responsibility to make sure that we come up with policies that will protect women. Women have gone through a lot. This is one of those that we cannot wait. We must come up with a policy as fast as possible because so many women are dying as they give birth. So many women are leaving school as they get mutilated. So many girls are being divorced. We cannot see women suffer and we keep quite. One of the things I saw in this country during the HIV/AIDS pandemic before it was declared a national disaster in 1999 is that the Government had a wonderful policy which was called “Total War Against AIDS.” I was involved in it. It was really total war. The Government put money to fight HIV/AIDS. They mainstreamed HIV/AIDS in every Ministry - in education, health, name it. Everybody was talking about HIV/AIDS. Everybody was teaching each other how to prevent it and how to look after those who had already got the infection. It was a very powerful programme. That is what I want to see with FGM. Let us put money there. Let Ministries get involved. We need everybody on board because this must go. I will not talk much about this but I know it hurts. It is painful. It is a very emotional problem because it touches on the culture of a people. Anything that touches the culture of a people becomes a very emotional thing. I must say that the whole world is fighting it. There was a story of a girl from South Sudan who was escaping from FGM and the American Government gave her a visa instantly because she wanted to escape from her country. Look at the way other countries respond. That is why I want to say that if you put more money like we did with Total War Against AIDS, we will be able to get somewhere. So, I support. Thank you."
}