Gertrude Kulany

Gertrude Kulany (23 November 1951 – 28 January 2021) was a Ugandan legislator, politician, and anti-female genital mutilation activist. Kulany served in the Constituent Assembly in 1994 and later represented Kapchorwa District as a Woman Member of Parliament between 2001 and 2006 in Uganda's seventh parliament. Quotes I'm one of the lucky ones who escaped the practice because I had support from my parents. Speaking to Inter Press Service about female genital mutilation (FGM), Kulany explained that family support enabled her to avoid undergoing the practice, unlike many girls in her community. Most of my contemporaries went through it because every girl in the village who attained puberty had to be initiated into womanhood through circumcision. Describing the social expectations surrounding FGM among the Sabiny community, she explained how girls were pressured to undergo the ritual at puberty. Even some women have been discouraged from voting for women who have not gone through female genital mutilation. Discussing the political consequences of FGM, Kulany explained that cultural beliefs were sometimes used to undermine female political candidates who had not been circumcised. They have been made to accept the belief that a woman who has not been circumcised is not yet mature. Explaining one of the enduring cultural beliefs used to justify FGM, she described how perceptions of womanhood affected both social acceptance and political participation I have personally known of deaths of girls and women to have directly resulted from Female Genital Mutilation. Sworn testimony presented to Uganda's Constitutional Court describing fatal consequences she had personally encountered in communities where FGM was practiced. I believe that the cultural practice of Female Genital Mutilation has no medical and social benefits and violates human rights provided for under the Constitution of Uganda and international human rights Covenants. Concluding section of her affidavit, where she argued that FGM violates constitutional and internationally protected human rights. External links Category:Women politicians in Uganda Category:Women activists from Uganda Category:1951 births Category:2021 deaths Category:Women born in the 1950s