Female genital mutilation is often practiced in countries like Asia, Eastern Europe, and Africa.
Experts say, FGM is prevalent in Nigeria due to immense social pressure, because of cultural beliefs, and ignorance among others.
According to research, 200 million women and girls have been victims of FGM globally and Nigeria accounts for the highest number of women and girls who have undergone FGM worldwide.
As part of efforts to nip the act in the bud, the HACEY Health initiative organized the stop cut press conference to intimate journalists about the challenges, and brainstorm on more strategies to end female genital mutilation.
Addressing participants,
The Oyo State female genital mutilation Coordinator, Balkis Olawoyin, called for the involvement of men and husbands as critical stakeholders who can help discourage the practice of FGM.
“If men can insist that they do not want to marry ladies who are mutilated, it will go a long way to discourage female genital mutilation ”.
Going down memory lane, the former Oyo State FIDA president, Barrister Oluyemisi Collins, condemned the culture of silence, which she described as one of the obstacles to getting justice and bringing perpetrators to book.
She maintained that FGM is a violation of the human rights of girls and women and called for collaboration to put an end to the act. The Monitor and evaluation officer, of the HACEY Health initiative, Mr. Emmanuel Oni, described FGM as a silent pandemic that poses great threats to the survival, development, and productivity of women and girls.
He pointed out that, Over 2000 stakeholders have been trained including community members and leaders on the consequences of the harmful practice.
According to him, the short and long-term health risk of FGM includes severe pain, excessive bleeding, infections, and maternal mortality among others.
It will be recalled that the HACEY Health initiative with funding from the United Nations Trust Fund for ending violence against women, launched the stop cut project to reduce activities of female genital mutilation in three of Nigeria’s southwest states.
The project has directly reached thousands of women in Oyo, Ekiti, and Osun States.