Tough FGM laws keep numbers down in Uganda, but hotspots still rampant

An anti-FGM campaign in Kenya. In Uganda, the female genital mutilation prevalence stands at 1.4 per cent, but the figure is higher in communities where the practice continues. PHOTO | NMG

Beatrice Cheptoyet underwent female genital mutilation (FGM) at the age of 16. That was three decades ago.

At the time, it was common practice for girls from her Sabiny tribe as well as a section of the Karimojong tribes of eastern and northeastern Uganda to undergo the procedure as a rite of passage into womanhood.