The battle against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is far from being won as over 120 million women and girls are said to be suffering from the negative effects of the practice across the globe.
Ekiti State has the second highest prevalence rate in Nigeria with 71.2 per cent as the state government threatened to invoke the law passed by the House of Assembly to bring the perpetrators to book.
These revelations came to light on Saturday at sensitization campaign tagged “End FGM Edutainment” which featured a Nollywood actress, Juliana Olayode a.ka. Toyo Baby of Jenifa’s Diary fame.
The event which was fully funded by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) was held at the 3,000-capacity Multipurpose Hall of Ekiti. State University, (EKSU), Ado-Ekiti.
The high point of the event was the celebrity’s declaration of the abandonment of the harmful and outlawed practice not only in Ekiti but in Nigeria. Many of the female students after watching the video of female genital mutilation wept profusely.
Executive Director of New Generation Girls and Women Development
Initiative (NIGAWD), Miss Abimbola Aladejare and Director, Centre for Gender and Development Studies, EKSU, Prof. Kemi Ogundana, reeled out the statistics to a shocked audience majority of who were female students.
Some of the negative effects of FGM, according to them, include HIV, infertility, hemorrhagic diseases, broken home due to lack of satisfaction with spouses and other associated problems due to the removal of their genitals.
Prof. Ogundana described genital mutilation as a flagrant infringement of the rights of the female gender, urging the government at all levels to stop the menace in the overall interest of motherhood.
She said taking the programme, which was attended by over 2,000 participants to a university community was appropriate, describing the undergraduates as the future mothers and husbands, who needed sensitization ahead of time.
“Cultural and traditional beliefs are responsible for this devilish practice and some people see it as family heritage but we must stop it. Some of those who even performed the genital cutting are unskilled. They did it with primitive and unsterilized equipment that do damage to human parts.
“The World Health Organisation had a law prohibiting this practice and it has been domesticated in Nigeria, particularly in Ekiti State. I want to appeal that the laws must be implemented to protect the lives of our women”, he said.
Miss Aladejare said as a victim of the practice that she could not forget the psychologically imbalance she always suffered each time she remembered the level of dehumanization being experienced by the victims.
She said those who practised the act were hiding under the myth that retention of female clitoris can cause promiscuity and still birth, which she said had been proven wrong by medical experts.
Miss Aladejare said the high prevalence rate in Ekiti requires collective efforts of all stakeholders to save the life of the girl child.
Commissioner for Information, Youth and Sports Development, Mr. Lanre Ogunsuyi, who revealed that most of the cutters are women , stressed that the Ayo Fayose administration will continue to sensitize the populace until the practice is completely obliterated in the state.
Other dignitaries at the event are EKSU Vice Chancellor, Prof. Samuel Bandele, who was represented by Dean of Social Sciences, Prof. T.T. Olofintoye; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. Ayotunde Omole and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs, Social Development and Gender Empowerment, Mrs. Peju Babafemi.
