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•Ebonyi gov’s wife, UNICEF, others tackle FGM in communities νOver 5,000 campaigners mobilised
From Magnus Eze, Abakaliki
•Women walk against FGM
Wife of Ebonyi State Governor, Mrs. Mary-Maudline Nwifuru, said recently that her office was determined to stamp out obnoxious practices against women and children, including female genital mutilation (FGM), in the state.
The prevalence of FGM in Ebonyi State in the last Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey-NDHS was 74.2%, next to Osun State with the highest prevalence at 76.6%. Zones in Nigeria with the highest FGM prevalence are South East (49%) and South West (47.5%). North East has the lowest prevalence (2.9%) and the Katsina State in North West recorded the lowest prevalence at 0.1%.
•Leaders addressing women on FGM
But she disclosed that the state government is collaborating with UNICEF and the Nigeria Governors’ Wives’ Forum to enact and enforce laws to criminalize female genital cutting and mutilation.
Recently, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in the state, Tomorrow is a Girl Initiative, said that it has mobilised over 571,217 persons in the state for the campaign against FGM.
Executive director of the organization, Lucy Ogodo, who disclosed this in Abakaliki during the review of its 2023 activities, noted that, having been steadfastly operational in the state for the past five years, the organization has directly impacted over 100,000 young girls and their families.
“Our collaboration with UNICEF this year yielded remarkable success, surpassing our predetermined targets of mobilizing 500,000 individuals to join the movement for good to end FGM in Ebonyi State by pledging; we were able to mobilize 571,217 individuals and still counting within the shortest time possible.
“This event was dedicated to recognizing and commemorating our impactful strides in fostering a sustainable environment for the optimal growth of the girl child and promoting women’s empowerment.
“This celebration serves as a tribute to everyone who has contributed to our success stories, including our dedicated community actors and the entire Tomorrow is a Girl team.
“It seemed impossible at the beginning, but today we have proved that impossibilities do not exist in our dictionary and I believe that with further support and more work, in the shortest time possible, Female Genital Mutilation will be a thing of the past in Ebonyi State,” she stated.
As part of the campaign against the inhuman act, women in Ebonyi State on February 6, joined the rest of the world to push against FGM. The 2024 International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM was observed with the theme “Her voice, her future.”
A mega road walk involving over 200 NGOs and CSOs, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and other Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs); women and youth groups, security agencies and the media, among others, held in Abakaliki.
The women, in their thousands, trooped to various streets and roads in Abakaliki, to sensitize the public on the dangers of the age-long practice which they said has had harmful effects on women and girls in the state.
Nwifuru in her address on the occasion, described it as a day of reflection, advocacy, and a collective commitment to end a practice that violates the fundamental rights and dignity of girls and women.
FGM comprises all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. This practice has been proven to have no benefit for the girls and women in turn causing lifelong problems for those who survive.
She said: “Today, we stand united in our refusal to tolerate this violation of the rights and dignity of women and girls in Ebonyi state.
“FGM inflicts both immediate and long-term physical and psychological harm. It robs girls of their right to health, well-being, and bodily integrity. It perpetuates gender inequality and contributes to a cycle of discrimination and violence against women.
“Our gathering here today is a testament to the power of awareness. By acknowledging the existence and consequences of FGM, we take a crucial step toward its eradication. Awareness is the first key to change, and it is our responsibility to ensure that this knowledge is shared widely, dispelling myths and misconceptions that perpetuate the practice.
“My foundation, Better Health for Rural Women, Children and Internally Displaced Persons Foundation (BERWO) is ready to eliminate FGM, we must work hand in hand with communities where the practice persists and we can foster an environment where the rights and well-being of girls are prioritized.”
Represented by the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Felicia Nwamkpuma, she said FGM could lead to death, adding that it has adverse physical, emotional and psychological effect on survivors.
She noted that criminalizing the practice through a legal instrument would ensure that perpetrators are adequately punished.
She called on all stakeholders and partners to unite in the fight to totally eradicate the practice in the state, assuring that her office, together with her organisation, BERWO, was ever ready to offer the needed assistance at all times.
Nwifuru said: “While awareness and community engagement are vital, legal and policy measures play a significant role.
“Government of Ebonyi State, the Nigeria First Ladies’ Forum with UNICEF are working, collaborating to enact and enforce laws that criminalize FGM to ensure that perpetrators are held accountable.
“This day, we also extend our support to survivors of FGM. These individuals face unimaginable challenges.
“BERWO Foundation provides support-services, including healthcare, counselling and legal assistance.
“We are readily available for those who have undergone or at the risk of FGM.”
President, Medical Women Association of Nigeria, Lillian Nwobashi, described FGM as any act of cutting, numbing or distorting the genitalia of a girl or woman for non-medical reasons.
She stressed that FGM is of no value to any woman, but has total negative health consequences.
She enumerated some of its bad effects to include excessive bleeding which could lead to death; painful intercourse, prolonged labour which could lead to death of mother or child; infections and frigidity; keloid or scar tissues that can close the vulva opening, among others.
Nwobashi added: “In fact, there is this issue of a man that brought back his new wife because there was no genital opening for him to have intercourse with the wife.
“So, there is nothing positive about FGM, only negative outcomes.”
State Coordinator, Ebonyi State Gender-Based Violence Taskforce, Mrs Faithvin Nwanchor, said FGM constitutes a significant component of gender-based violence because it assaults the rights and dignity girls and women.
She noted that FGM is part of the practices enshrined in the Ebonyi State Violence Against Persons and other Related Matters Prohibition Law, otherwise known as VAPP Law.
Nwanchor who is also the Head of Department, Special Assault and Gender based response department of the state Ministry of Justice, emphasized that female genital organ has been well structured by nature, describing any form of mutilation as criminal assault on the woman’s natural makeup.
She noted that the GBV Taskforce’s saturated campaign against the practice and other forms of gender-based violence across the state has been yielding positive results, pledging that the taskforce will not relent until the practice is totally stopped in the state.
An FGM survivor, Mrs Paulina Nwagu, advised mothers never to perform or encourage the carrying out of FGM on their female children.
Nwagu who is the chairperson of Oganiru Umunwanyi Cooperative Society, an organisation for the advancement of the cause of survivors in the state, said FGM experiences were problematic and traumatizing.
She explained that their organisation was birthed after a training they received from the United Nations, adding that since then, they have banded together in campaigns, especially to the rural communities to discourage the practice.
Nwagu said: “The former administration inaugurated us in 2022, and we went into the villages and started advocating and telling them the negative effects of FGM.”
