Passionate Pastor saves young Kenyan girls from evils of Female Genital Mutilation

'We went to tell them that there is still a future for them and they should remain focused on their dreams.'

Kenya banned female genital mutilation (FGM) in 2011, but thousands have gone underground to continue the atrocious act.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - On Monday, February 6, Pastor Stephen Lenku Tipatet joined four other pastors to fight FGM during the U.N. sponsored International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation.

Pastor Tipatet often leads other pastors to girls rescued from FGM. Together, they pray and the pastors teach the girls they have the potential to build a beautiful future for themselves.

"The girls were rescued during the last school holidays," Pastor Tipatet explained to Christian Headlines. "We went to tell them that there is still a future for them and they should remain focused on their dreams."

The unfortunate truth is FGM is an ancient practice serving no beneficial purpose. The U.N. released the following key facts concerning FGM:

• Globally, it is estimated that at least 200 million girls and women alive today have undergone some form of FGM.
• Girls 14 and younger represent 44 million of those who have been cut, with the highest prevalence of FGM among this age in Gambia at 56 per cent, Mauritania 54 per cent and Indonesia where around half of girls aged 11 and younger have undergone the practice.
• Countries with the highest prevalence among girls and women aged 15 to 49 are Somalia 98 per cent, Guinea 97 per cent and Djibouti 93 per cent.
• FGM is mostly carried out on young girls sometime between infancy and age 15.
• FGM cause severe bleeding and health issues including cysts, infections, infertility as well as complications in childbirth increased risk of newborn deaths.
• FGM is a violation of the human rights of girls and women.
• The Sustainable Development Goals in 2015 calls for an end to FGM by 2030 under Goal 5 on Gender Equality, Target 5.3 Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation.
• The elimination of FGM has been called for by numerous inter-governmental organizations, including the African Union, the European Union and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, as well as in three resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly.

Knowing these facts and wanting to help the girls, Pastor Tipatet travels through Kajiado County, openly fighting FGM and spreading the Word of God.

Pastor Tipatet is one of over 300 pastors who are part of the Kajiado East Pastors Association, which works to educate the community and dissuade them from forcing young girls to undergo FGM and early marriages.

"We challenge circumcision of girls," he reported. "we tell the community it's not biblical."

Unfortunately, centuries of tradition has proven difficult to break. Many families threaten traditional curses on anyone who challenges their FGM ceremonies.

"This has kept away some local campaigners and traditional chiefs, but the church is not deterred," Pastor Tipatet described. "We are also making some good progress, although it's still difficult to reach some areas."

The U.N. has been calling for change as well, with its site reading FGM "reflects deep-rooted inequality between the sexes, and constitutes an extreme form of discrimination against women and girls.

"The practice also violates their rights to health, security and physical integrity, their right to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and their right to life when the procedure results in death."

To learn more about how to stop FGM, please click here. Your prayers for teams like Pastor Tipatet's are also appreciated.

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