Obligation to Protect (O2P) Kenya - Agents of change unite against FGM/C SUMMARY 
Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) is an extreme form of violence against girls and women. This project, which is being carried out by Plan and its partner, Association of European Parliamentarians with Africa (AWEPA), aims to eradicate this practice within a generation in selected communities in Tharaka-Nithi county, Kenya.
To underscore the kind of optimum outcomes that will be crucial for the permanent eradication of FMG/C the project is being carried out at individual, community and institutional levels. It teaches communities about girls’ rights and that FGM/C is illegal. It also encourages local organisations like youth and women’s groups to challenge norms and attitudes and it supports parliamentarians in implementing effective legislation. This four-year project started in January 2014 and is part of a bigger programme that is being carried out in four countries (Egypt, Sudan, Kenya and Ethiopia). FGM/C is a violation of human rights and an extreme form of violence and discrimination against girls and women. It involves the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other types of injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. It is viewed as a traditional practice, despite it being very painful and risky for the health of girls and women. It can also cause many complications during menstruation, pregnancy and childbirth, and can even sometimes result in death.
Although FGM/C is against the law in Kenya, in rural areas of the country there are insufficient resources and support to enforce the law. Furthermore, the infrastructure to protect girls and boys from violence is weak.
In Kenya as a whole, 27.1 per cent of women are subjected to FMG/C, but this percentage is higher among certain tribes and ethnic groups. In Tharaka-Nithi county 58 per cent of girls between the ages of 7 and 17 are subjected to it. The practice is deeply rooted in the local society and is usually carried out by family or community members. They see FGM/C as a necessary step towards social acceptance and as a rite of passage for girls. To eliminate FGM/C, the social norms and values that fuel its continuation must be changed. Furthermore, legislation against FGM/C must be improved and enforced.  Men and boys will have to lobby for this and girls must be empowered to stand up for their sexual and reproductive health (SRH) rights, and supported in doing so too. Individuals and local organisations are being trained to act as human rights defenders, meaning the project is tackling FGM/C at individual, community and institutional levels. In the context of this project: 
- people, including girls, boys, and local youth and women’s groups, are being empowered to oppose these violations and are being trained as human rights defenders;
- local development organisations, women’s groups and agents of change are lobbying to change the norms and values that justify and continue this harmful practice; 
- legal and protection systems in the affected counties in Egypt are being strengthened and parliamentarians are being influenced.

All activities in the project are inter-connected. Individual and community initiatives are being supported by a legal framework. Local organisations are playing a watchdog role in the case of violations that have already happened or are about to happen, and taking the necessary actions against these violations. In Kenya the UNICEF/UNFPA joint programme against FGM/C is strengthening the structure of the government at both national and regional levels. This project also works at community level and targets groups that are not yet covered by the above-mentioned initiatives, namely: girls, boys and local organisations and parliamentarians. 
In addition to all this, the project complements existing Plan projects, making it possible to build on earlier successes, such as working with previously trained stakeholders and community structures. Some 45,000 girls and 50,000 boys between the ages of 10 and 18 in Tharaka-Nithi county will benefit from this project. The girls have been identified by Plan as being vulnerable to FGM/C. The boys are also important because they are seen as the defenders and future guardians of the changed social norms and the eradication of FGM/C. The project’s activities are described below at three levels. 
At individual level the project entails:
- the organisation of 16 dialogue sessions for 50 women, men, boys and girls on the risks and dangers of FGM/C and the (SRH) rights of girls and young women. FGM/C impacts the complete physical, mental and social well-being of girls and women, including their (future) sex lives, their ability to have children and their own freedom to decide about these issues (FGM/C is strongly linked to gender inequality and therefore to unequal rights within societies); 
- the organisation of children’s rights debates in 40 primary schools to discuss FGM/C, (SRH) rights issues and violence against women and girls;
- five days training for 60 women’s groups to explore how funding and alternative sources of income can be found for the people who practice (FMG/C);
- developing information and educational materials on the eradication of FGM/C (such as T-shirts, posters, banners, brochures and flyers). 
At community level the project entails:
-   a five-day training of 180 paralegals on the prosecution of children’s-rights violations like FGM/C; 
-   two training sessions for 80 local organisations, such as women’s groups, to include the eradication of FGM/C in all aspects of their work; 
-     three-monthly forums with stakeholders, such as local organisations, women’s and youth groups, in which best practices and lessons are shared and new strategies are jointly developed.
At institutional level the project entails:
-  16 sessions targeting political leaders at county and national levels to influence legislation on FGM/C and develop specific laws both in both county and national legislation; 
- five annual sessions on existing legal instruments for tackling FGM/C for national parliamentarians and local chiefs to explain relevant conventions, the constitution, the Children’s Act 2001 and the Sexual Offences Act 2006;
- the training of approximately 1,000 law enforcers, such as provincial administrators and the police, on relevant legislation that outlaws FGM/C;
- arranging exchange visits to surrounding counties for five members of the national government and five members of the Tharaka-Nithi county government, to exchange successes and ideas to improve the enforcement of the relevant laws and policies;
- organising three outreach visits to Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan, for a delegation of five members of the national government to exchange successes and ideas to improve the enforcement of the relevant laws and policies;
- organising advocacy activities to exploit opportunities to lobby members of the national government to stop FGM/C.

Furthermore, the fact that FGM/C is a violation of human rights is being reinforced through the following media activities: 
- monthly, interactive, live radio talk shows by local radio stations on the effects of FGM/C, as well as the demystification of myths that help to continue the practice in Tharaka-Nithi county. These radio shows target some 15,000 women, 20,000 men, 50,000 boys and 45,000 girls; 
- using traditional folk media, such as community theatre shows, dancing and singing  performances  to carry out 50 community campaigns using songs, drama, sketches and dance to share health messages related to FGM/C, violence against women and girls and children’s rights; 
- using texting and mobile phone apps to raise awareness and report cases of FGM/C and violence against girls and young women;
- developing and using a mobile phone app that enables parliamentarians to access information on relevant legislation, best practices, reported cases of violence and FGM/C. The app is also available for boys, girls and local organisations involved in the project. By changing social norms, this project is driving a permanent change in the way people see FGM/C. Once social norms in a community change, that change is usually irreversible, meaning that, thanks to this project, FGM/C prevalence rates will continue to drop after it has ended. 

By connecting and strengthening local organisations, youth groups and women groups, the project is installing structures that will remain in place after its completion. These organisations are acting in networks to jointly influence change at county and national levels. Furthermore, by creating safe spaces for girls and young women they will be able to discuss their problems and get the support they need to claim their rights.

The project is also strengthening the linkages between the various types of change makers. This will improve cooperation in stopping FGM/C and give girls and young women access to important actors at local, state/district and even national levels. Defending human rights and using parliamentarians in Kenya is taking more time and effort than was expected. Both girls and boys are being trained as agents of change, but more efforts will be needed if they are to become the defenders of human rights. These are lessons we would like to explore in more detail in the mid-term review (MTR) of this project. In the first year of the project 1,300 T-shirts with anti-FGM/C sentiments were produced by Plan and the National Anti-FGM board. They were distributed during the International Day Of The Girl Child, 16 Days Of Activism and the Plan and Anti-FGM Board county campaign. A flyer explaining the programme in Kenya and the other three countries in which it is being implemented was distributed, including background information about Plan and AWEPA. The flyer was distributed during events, such as Zero Tolerance Day 2014, The Lifting the Veil expert meeting 2015 and the 2015 “Afrika Dag”. The project was supported by two TV documentaries and a live talk-show interview that was broadcast by three Kenyan TV stations (K24, QTV and NTV). The link below shows how awareness is being increased among Kenyans that the government and other stakeholders must do more to combat FGM/C.