1. CHILDREN'S RIGHTS
HOW WE CAN CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT FOR LEARNING WHERE
CHILDREN RIGHTS ARE INTERGRATED.
The case study of the abuse of the girl child in nomadic tribes in
Kenya.(Maasai and Pokot tribes).
INTRODUCTION
Kenya has about 42 tribes in total. We consist of many diverse cultures
and traditions, some of which have been overtaken by time therefore not
relevant to the modern world. Some of the practices, examples female
genital mutilation and forced early marriages, are harmful to the
children and total violation of their rights as stipulated in the universal
human rights charter. It is estimated that about a third of women in
Kenya undergo FGM ( http://womenontherun.se/node/42)
Together with my class we were able to work together to see how these
problems could be solved if they took place and how the society and the
government can eliminate the problem altogether. The assignment will
go a long way to teach the children on their rights and how other
children in other areas are being subjected to abuse due to female genital
mutilation (FGM) and being married off to other older men and
therefore they cannot access education, which is their fundamental right.
HOW THE ASSIGNMENT WAS DONE
PREPARATION
The first thing I did was to research on the issue of FGM (female genital
mutilation) and forced marriages which was a violation of Article 34 and
35.I asked the learners to go and get case studies from the print media

2. such newspapers so that we could discuss. I gave each pupil a copy of
printed booklet of the little book of rights so that they could read it and
know what their rights entails.
PROCESS
I asked all the children to read all the articles in the little book of rights
so that they could understand what the rights of a child entails. We took
each article and the children were able to discuss in class what they had
understood and learnt about their rights. We then decided to take two
articles which were to discuss and come with the solutions to the
problem. The children decided to take article 34 and 35 from the little
book of rights which states “THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD
PROTECT CHILDREN FROM SEXUAL ABUSE" and "THE
GOVERNMENT SHOULD MAKE SURE THAT CHILDREN ARE
NOT ABDUCTED OR SOLD” The children were particularly touched
by the fact that their peers in the Maasai community were being denied
their right to learn due to being sold by their parents to men as
wives.(http://utdoccenter.org/student-showcase/alumni/alumni-
photoj/healing-the-deepest-scars/)
IMPLEMENTATION
The pupils came up with ways in which the government would ensure
that the girl child, particularly from the Maasai tribe would not undergo
female genital mutilation and that no other child would undergo forced
marriage due to being sold off by their parents or relatives. We also
discussed ways in which people can stop the violation of the rights of the
children, especially the girl child, and ensure they grow up in a society
that is conducive for their growth and development.

3. (The children reading from The Little Book Of Rights)
RESULTS
I did a one on one interview with the pupils, some teachers and the local
Assistant Chief, Mr. Gitau, on the issue.

4. The following were their responses to the problem of FGM and the issue
of marrying off the girl child as it is done in the Maasai community.
* One pupil, Hillary, suggested that it was wrong for the girls to be sold
as wives to men who they didn’t know and that their education was
important. He cited this as sexual violence and sexual abuse which the
Government should protect the girls. This was in tandem to the Article
34 of the Little Book of Rights and responsibilities. He said that the girls
must have felt very lonely being removed from their homes and being
moved to a strange place to be a wife to a complete stranger who they
had never met before!
*A girl, Fatima, felt that the education of these girls was so important
since it would ensure that they become self reliant people in future. She
cited that when girls underwent FGM they were married off to men and
therefore they did not continue with their education and they had to
become totally dependent on their husbands for their upkeep. This also
meant that they could not get any meaningful education since their level

5. of education was very basic for any gainful employment.
(Mercy giving her views during the discussion)
*Mercy, said that the fact that these girls were taken by force by their
parents or relatives and married off to other men amounted to abduction
and being sold off, which is a contravention of Article 35 of Little Book
Of Rights and Responsibilities. She said that this was dehumanizing as
girls are reduced to mere items or commodities for sale! She said that if

6. she would have been sold she would have felt worthless and yet many
girls undergo this trauma and they could do nothing about it.
*One girl Khadija who was from the Somali community said that her
mother did not have any formal education since she was forced to
undergo FGM and was married off. She said that in her community girls
are sold off when they are young and they could not protest or refuse.
(Khadija talks about her mother)

7. *With some boys we composed a song denouncing the abuse of children
through FGM and forced marriages. The song in Swahili titled “Nataka
Kusoma” which means “I want to learn” condemned the practice of
early marriages.
(The boys singing the song “Nataka kusoma”

8. *A teacher, Mrs. Leshore, who herself is a maasai by tribe said that she
had managed to escape the problem of FGM and early marriage because
she had been rescued by her aunt who had undergone the FGM and then
took her to a boarding school so that she could get a decent education.
She shocked me when she said that she was the only lady in her village
to have gone to a tertiary college. Most of her female age mates in her
home village have never gone past elementary education.
*In a telephone interview with the Assistant Chief of the area, who is the
Government representative, said that the Government had put in place
the implementation of the CHILDREN'S ACT (CAP 586 laws of Kenya)
that warrants the protection of children from harmful cultural practices
like FGM and that all children regardless of being male or female must
have the free and compulsory primary
education.(.http://www.anppcankenya.co.ke/index.php?option=com_con
tent&task=view&id=21&Itemid=67)
MY OWN FINDINGS
*I did my own research on the internet and I managed to get some sites
pertaining to FGM and one in particular was highlighting the problems
that FGM causes in our society. It was stating that girls as young as 8
years are being subjected to this gross violation of human rights and this
would result in arranged marriages and therefore their education comes
to an end.(http://www.enoughisenough.co.ke/female-genital-mutilation-
in-kenya.html)
*According to another blog, it is suggested that men also should be
included in the fight against this violation of child rights (As a young
boy growing up, it was more common than today for women and
girls to be circumcised. It made me cry to see girls cry in severe
pain,” says prominent Kenyan attorney, Mr. Clifford Ombati. “I
think men and women need to unite to fight FGM. As a lawyer I

9. have represented many women in court and it makes me feel
good that the vice is now outlawed in Kenya. The cases lawyers
receive, however, are still very few in the courts and some take up
to 10 years to be finalized,” added the attorney.)
http://fgcdailynews.blogspot.com/2010/09/kenya-lawyers-ask-men-to-
fight-against.html
If men did join in the fight against FGM then I think the children would
be spared from this violation of their rights and more would go to school
and I believe strongly that more would not be married off to men as
wives.
CONCLUSION
*All children regardless of their gender should not be denied their right
to go to school.
*No child should undergo any cultural practice that is harmful to them
*No girl child should be sold off or be married off until they are of age
and with their full consent.
*The government should ensure no child is sexually abused or forced to
undergo FGM
*For the fight against FGM and early marriages to succeed its very
important to include the men since they still have major control on
matters in Africa and in nomadic tribes to be specific Maasai and Pokot.
*We should ensure that children are taught their rights so that when they
grow up, they will be able to stop these traditional cultural practices that
are harmful to children.