Girls, like Rosie, who are rescued from being cut are taken to Safe Houses based in Mugumu and Butiama.
The Safe Houses are run by Rhobi Samwell and the Hope for Girls and Women team. Due to their policy of not turning any girl away, both Safe Houses are very busy, getting busier still during ‘cutting season’.
Rhobi often gets very short notice to say girls are about to be cut the next day. She then alerts the Police Gender Desk and Social Welfare and they attempt to rescue the girls, often this is late at night. Before we began the mapping process, these remote villages were very hard to find and there is still work to do to make the areas more accessible.
The rescued girls are brought to the nearest Safe House. Many have been abused or raped by family or neighbours and are in need of medical care and counseling.
The Safe Houses provide a haven and the girls can take part in vocational training to learn new skills.
Find out more about the Safe Houses and Hope for Girls and Women here.