By Hassan Zaggi
The United Nations (UN) has insisted that the time to end the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Nigeria is now.
The UN also insisted that religious leader, community and traditional rulers have a fundamental role to play to ensure there is zero tolerance to FGM in their various communities.
Speaking at the formal “Launch of the Movement For Good to End Female Genital Mutilation,” in Abuja, recently, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Matthias Schmale, noted that the responsibility to end the practice lies with both international and local stakeholders.
The initiative was launched by the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs in collaboration with United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF).
Mr. Schmale said: “The practice of FGM which was handed from generation to generation which is culturally justified is no longer acceptable. It is a practice which violates the girls’ right to life and dignity as well as their bodily autonomy.
“The time to end FGM in Nigeria is now and the responsibility to do so lies with us all.
“The movement we are launching today will support innovative and safe platforms by young people who pledge their commitment to end FGM .
“Nigeria has made public commitment to end FGM by 2030, with less than 7 years to go, we are unfortunately seriously off-track as we are not sure to end the FGM by 2030. The question now is what can we do differently and ensure that the violence against women and girls stopped.
“We urgently need concrete actions to achieve this and this goes beyond only political commitment.
“We need strong political commitment to collect data. We need to collect and use reliable data to inform public policy initiatives and programming.
“We, of course, need tailored and comprehensive preventive and responsive services for survivors of FGM and we must talk about money and funding.
“As UN, we call on all legislators to pass domestic laws where this is yet to be done.”
In a keynote address, the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Dame Pauline Tallen, regretted that FGM is a traditional practice inflicted on girls and women which, according to her, is widely recognized as a violation of human rights, which is deeply rooted in cultural beliefs and perceptions over decades and generations.
While condemning in strong terms the practice of FGM which does not have any known benefit to the girl child, the Minister said: “I will like to state firmly that the procedure of FGM has no health benefit for girls and women. The resulting outcome of FGM are adverse pain and hemorrhage, infection, acute urinary retention following such trauma, damage to the urethra or anus.
“During the procedure, the victim would struggle through an experience which leads to chronic pelvic infection, dysmenorrhea, retention cysts, sexual difficulties, obstetric complications, bleeding, prolonged labour leading to fistula formation amongst others.
“The mental and psychological agony attached with FGM is deemed the most serious complication because the problem does not manifest outwardly for help to be offered.”
She noted that eliminating FGM is crucial to realizing many of the other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Dame Tallen called for the provision of enabling environment to support victims of FGM through related support services free and also increase the awareness on the health and social impact of these practices on our economy.
On his part, Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire noted that FGM involves procedures that attempt to remove external female genitalia supposedly as a cultural practice or for cultural therapeutic reasons.
He reiterated that the practice has no scientific, religious or medical benefits but rather it has many serious health hazards and complications in which some of them are unfortunately irreversible.
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