About 60 per cent of women, who attended health facilities for delivery service in Tanga city, were found to have undergone Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

According to the coordinator of mother and child health care coordinator for Tanga city, Ms Esther Kimweli, the data was taken from various private and public health centres in the city last year.

She wondered how Tanga city residents were still practicing female genital mutilation, despite intensive education on the health hazards caused by FGM.

The education is continually being offered by various government and non -governmental organisations. “In fact for Tanga region everyone may be shocked to hear that about 60 per cent of delivering women last year were found to be circumcised.

I thank God that we conducted this finding otherwise we could not be aware of the situation,” she said. She further said that following such findings, there was still work to be done especially in organising education programs for both school children and community members so that the problem would decline or rather be ended up in the city.

“We must resume education programmes in schools and to the community members.

You know some people thought that there is no FGM in Tanga city but the findings had proved that there are people still practicing it. Where they come from does matter. What matters is education to all people,” she insisted.

Speaking about the effects of FGM, Ms Kimweli said that it has been causing many complications to pregnant women during delivery as some of them undergo severe breeding which might cause death.

She further said in a move towards reducing maternal mortality rates, the question of female circumcision should be dealt with, thus she prayed for intervention from the stake holders to disseminate education to the public.