Kalangi, S. Kiambati (2009) The Role of Mass Media in Behaviour Change among Female Proponents of Female Genital Mutilation in Meru North District. Masters thesis, University of Nairobi.
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Abstract
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is the term used to refer to the removal of all or part of the female genitalia. The practice is deeply embedded in African culture and has continued for thousands of years. The origins of the practice are not fully understood but it is thought to have existed since 3000BC. Religion, especially Islam, has often been given as the reason for the practice. However, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), FGM predates all modern religions. It is estimated that more than 130m million girls and women have been subjected to FGM and that a further 2 million girls are at risk each year. Most of these women live in 287 African countries and increasingly in Europe, Canada, USA, Australia and New Zealand, among immigrant communities. The Anti-FGM proponents in Africa and elsewhere have recently made great progress in challenging the practice by pointing to the physical and psychological health risks of the practice; its impact on a girl’s education, early marriages and general development of the community as a whole; and by calling for respect for human rights of girls and women in general. African women’s organizations at the forefront state that FGM is rooted and perpetuated in the unequal relationship between Women and men in African societies, a trend that makes women passive and to comply with traditions and the stress generated by accepting these practices as right and/or inevitable in order to belong to the society. UNICEF notes and urges that change can only come from within. Thus it is vital for the anti-FGM campaigners to raise the debate within communities practicing it. Transformation will come when people recognize and understand the wider benefits that change will bring to the health and general well-being of the girls and women, as well as the whole community. The main is to build positive motivation for people to embrace change. Kenya’s campaign against the practice of FGM dates back to 1913 when missionaries observed that FGM was a severe practice. In 1989, Kenya’s former president Daniel Arap Moi asked the Meru and other communities still practicing FGM to stop the practice forthwith. However, the criminalization of the practice only caused it to go underground, necessitating a different approach to its eradication. For this reason, the study sought to examine the role played by mass media channels among female proponents of FGM in the Meru community of Meru North district. The results of the study will guide policy makers, as well as campaign designers in the laying down of campaign communication strategies in future anti-FGM campaigns. The study assessed the availability as well as access to mass media channels by women who are often the direct victims as well as main proponents of the practice; the most accessible medium and FGM messages in the mass media. Study findings indicate that most women in the study area have limited access to mass media channels due to their high cost, lack of free time and low literacy levels as compared to the men. Radio is the most accessible medium among the women, as it is cheaper, and broadcasts in the local Kimeru language. It is, therefore, vital to use the local radio station to facilitate awareness of FGM issues among the Meru. Open debates would be more effective in deliberating on various FGM related issues. Apart from the mass media, religious leaders are the most vocal against the practice of FGM among the Meru of Meru North. There is, therefore, a need for interplay of interpersonal and mass media in the fight against FGM. Public declaration by local religious and other leaders should be encouraged.Study findings indicate that women, especially grandmothers and mothers, are the main proponents of the practice, encouraging their girls to undergo the practice. There is need to pay more attention to mothers and grandmothers since they are major decision makers with regard to FGM. Communication activities must be tailored to suit and integrate these elderly women and make them feel as part of an activity that is crucial and beneficial to their general community. In addition, the men in the community should be trained to be advocates of anti-FGM campaigns since they were found to have more access to mass media channels. Networking with all stakeholders is vital since there is no single organization or individual that can effectively succeed in fully eradicating the vice. Full eradication of FGM among the Meru and any other practicing community, needs openness in communication and attitudinal change at the community level. The overall goal, to improve gender relations, further women rights, change attitudes and behavior of the community towards FGM is envisioned in community involvement and enhancement of informal communication rather than just the classical mass media.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Masters) |
|---|---|
| Subjects: | Z Bibliography. Library Science. Information Resources > ZA Information resources |
| Divisions: | Africana |
| Depositing User: | Geoffrey Obatsa |
| Date Deposited: | 27 Sep 2016 09:37 |
| Last Modified: | 27 Sep 2016 09:39 |
| URI: | http://thesisbank.jhia.ac.ke/id/eprint/1095 |
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