Mercy Nalugo
4 July 2009
As the season for the genital female mutilation in eastern Uganda nears, the Education Minister, Ms Namirembe Bitamazire on Thursday warned against circumcising the girls.
Ms Bitamazire said those that intend to let their children participate in the female genital mutilation cultural exercise shall be arrested.
"Ending the archaic female genital mutilation exercise requires a concerted effort. The police shall come in to arrest those parents that intend to give in their children to be circumcised including the surgeons,'" she warned.
She was responding to concerns from the legislators on the Parliamentary Equal Opportunities Committee who expressed fears that the circumcision exercise slated for mid this month shall interfere with the school programme.
"The education of the girl child is interrupted as circumcised students cannot walk properly and they lose confidence before their colleagues. Most of them cannot go to school after they have been 'cut,'" the committee chairperson, Ms Hanifa Kawooya (Ssembabule Women, NRM) said.
"Others have run away from their homes for fear of being circumcised. We request that the ministry intervenes immediately to protect the girl child," she added.
Ms Bitamazire said the government is considering drafting a Bill on circumcision.
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