Health facilities in Amudat District are recording a resurgence of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) cases, with many girls now crossing into Kenya to undergo the practice in secret before returning home to give birth.
Midwives say they are seeing more young mothers with fresh FGM scars, some as young as 14 to 18 years old.
The injuries are causing obstructed labor, severe bleeding, infections, and emergency episiotomies during delivery.
At St Francis of Assisi Kosike Health Centre III, health workers say 4 out of 10 mothers under 19 arrive with fresh cuts.
Between January and April this year, at least 18 victims were recorded.
Cathy Juliet Aloko, a Clinical Officer at Kosike Health Centre III, says that they have adopted a new system of capturing data from victims delivering at the facility.
She says the survey helps establish actual numbers without scaring victims away from seeking care.
Previously, open interviews discouraged many women from delivering at the facility for fear of being reported.
Aloko says that more awareness is needed on the dangers of Female Genital Mutilation, which continues to put mothers’ lives at risk amid already limited obstetric care in the district.
A 2013 law banned FGM in Uganda, but a crackdown has pushed the practice underground.
Authorities say local leaders often conceal cases, making enforcement difficult.
Simon Opolot, Amudat Grade One Magistrate, says the community continues to carry out FGM in secret.
Officials also note a new trend of FGM among women aged 45 and above, tied to traditional initiation ceremonies.
By URN
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