FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION (FGM), AN AGE LONG-TABOO THAT MUST BE ABOLISHED
http://www.hrlnews.com/2019/04/female-genital-mutilation-fgm-age-long.html
FGM – Is widely
recognised as all procedures which involve partial or total removal of the
external female genitalia and/or injury to the female genital organs, whether
for cultural or any other non-therapeutic reasons.
In Nigeria,
subjection of girls and women to obscure traditional practices is
legendary. FGM is an unhealthy traditional practice inflicted on girls and
women worldwide.
FGM is generally
considered as a violation of human rights, which is deeply rooted in cultural
beliefs and perceptions over decades and generations with no easy task for
change.
FGM is widely
practice in Nigeria and with its large population; Nigeria has the highest
absolute number of cases of FGM in
the world, accounting for about one-quarter of the estimated 115 – 150 million
of circumcised women worldwide.
In Nigeria, FGM
has the highest prevalence in the south-south (77%) among adult women, followed
by the south east (68%) and south west (65%), but practiced on a smaller scale
in the north, paradoxically tending to in a more extreme form.
Nigeria has a population of over 180 million people with the
women population forming 52%. The
national prevalence rate of FGM is 41% among adult women. Prevalence rates progressively decline in the
young age groups and 37% of circumcised women do not want FGM to continue. 61% of
women do not want FGM said it was a
bad harmful tradition.
About 20 million girls and women have been victims of Female
Genital Mutilation, FGM, in Nigeria
out of 200 million women and girls that have been cut worldwide, making it the
highest in any country.
Recently, on Wednesday, 3rd of April 2019, a
newly-born baby from a family of Nigerian migrants in Italy died following a
botched home circumcision, the second such incident in little over a week. This paradoxically calls for immediate actions
so as to bring an end to this age long-taboo ravaging our society.
In Enugu state,
which happens to be one of the foremost states in south eastern part of the
country, FGM have had its fair share
of prevalence rates in recent years.
In 2016, the Society for the Protection of Rural People
(SIRP), a civil society organization working in Enugu state of Nigeria. With their End FGM grant, they organized a community dialogue project and
documentary about ending FGM, to
enable members of the community to discuss long-taboo topics in a safe
environment.
The Global Media Campaign to End FGM and Onelife Initiative for Human Dignity Foundation, in 2017, organised a workshop in Enugu, to train radio journalist on how to reach listeners in the rural and urban communities on the need to abandon FGM.
United Nation set
aside every February 6 to mark
International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation aimed at
strengthening the momentum towards ending the practice worldwide.
It is true that tradition and culture are important aspects
of any society in helping to mould the views and behavioural patterns of the
society; some traditions and cultural practices like FGM are harmful and must be abolished. A multidisciplinary approach involving
legislation, health care professional organizations, empowerment of the women
in the society, and education of the general public at all levels with emphasis
on dangers and undesirability of FGM
is paramount.
Save a woman, save a society and say no to Female Genital
Mutilation, FGM today.
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