Uganda: girls become advocates against FGC

November 9, 2009 By Moses Bikala A LOCAL non-governmental organisation [ in Uganda], Reproductive Educative and Community Health (REACH), has trained 150 school girls to serve as advocates against female genital mutilation. While passing out the girls at Iwemba Primary School in Bugiri district on Friday, the director, Christine Chelangati, said the organisation had embarked on a door-to-door campaign. Chelangati said 52,100 girls had been trained as advocates since 2004 under the alternate right to passage programme. She hailed the Irish government and the gender ministry for spear-heading the fight. The Bugiri district Woman MP, Justine Kasule, said over 200 cases of defilement in the district had this year been settled by local council courts after parents of the victims demanded for petty fines from the offenders. "I have information, indicating that some of the girls parents ask for only two goats from the offender who is then set free" she said. Kasule urged the public to help fight female genital mutilation by exposing the surgeons.