Education, a Safeguard to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)

Beatrice Cheptoek, a 54-year-old woman from Kween District and a member of the Sebei community, is a survivor of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). FGM comprises all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia for non-medical reasons.

Looking back at her life, she says she gained nothing from the pain she endured. She did not find happiness in the marriages that followed, nor did she achieve anything from the cultural expectations forced upon her.

Beatrice was forced to undergo FGM at the age of 19 while five months pregnant with her first child. Her parents also arranged an early marriage for her, seeing her as a source of wealth. The experience left her bleeding and fearful for her unborn baby’s life. She recalls how the surgeon’s knife couldn’t cut through her genitalia easily and the trauma that followed.

Though she had eight children with her first husband, he eventually left her. A second marriage also ended, even after they had four children together.

With the pain of her past still fresh in her memory, Beatrice decided to protect her daughters from going through the same fate. Her greatest tool in this fight was education. Having dropped out of school in Senior Two in 1986, she believes that continuing in school could have saved her from early marriage and FGM.

Determined to break the cycle, she made sure all her five daughters stayed in school. One of them is now an engineer, and the other four are still pursuing their education, one in Senior Four, two in Primary Seven, and one in Primary Six. She believes their education is what has kept them safe from FGM to this day.

Unfortunately, the practice still goes on in many rural communities in Uganda, such as  Sebei and Karamoja, despite being outlawed by the Parliament of Uganda in 2010. In 2024 alone, Beatrice reports that at least 11 girls in her area underwent FGM. Some were Primary Seven leavers, while others were already married. She blames the local surgeons in her sub-county who continue to influence girls using cultural beliefs and witchcraft.

Now, Beatrice spends her time sensitizing fellow community members about the dangers of FGM under the UNICEF-supported campaign – “I’m Her Keeper” and the value of education. She strongly believes that if more girls are allowed to complete school, the harmful practice will reduce.

She also appeals to the Government of Uganda to support her efforts by establishing a functioning mixed secondary school in Binyiny, Tukumo Parish, where only two primary schools exist. A secondary school was built in 2013 but closed in 2023 due to a lack of resources and unpaid volunteer teachers, which discouraged them from continuing.

“I dream of a Sabiny community where girls are free to go to school, where early marriages stop, and where FGM becomes a thing of the past,” she says.

For Beatrice, her story is no longer just about survival. It is about change, starting with her daughters and extending to every girl she can reach.