Though constant sensitisation is believed have is believed to have reduced the incident of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in today’s society, the practice is still prevalent in Oyo State with some local government areas having the highest incident rate in Nigeria. The current prevalent rate is still high enough for concern, especially in some local government areas like Kajola, Akinyele and Oyo West among others.
And to make this a thing of the past within the state or at least reduce the incident rate, efforts have commenced on waging war against the act of genital mutilation, which has been established to have no benefit. The state government has entered into a collaboration with a non-governmental organisation, Hacey Health Initiative, and the Oyo State Commissioner for Health, Dr Bashir Bello, also inaugurated a joint team for the safe cut project, focused on partnership to end FGM.
In particular, the government reiterated the need to curb the medicalisation of FGM in Oyo State as it is one of the reasons the act of genital mutilation still thrives.
Speaking during a round table on the Cut project at the Ministry of Health conference room on Thursday, Dr Bello stated that FGM is still a major issue in the state, and that there is a need to educate people that the act hampers reproductive rights of victims and is indeed a human rights violation.
He stressed that the damage done on victims of FGM is irreversible while the act has no health benefits and strips victims of their dignity.
Speaking on ending medicalisation of FGM at the primary healthcare level, the executive secretary of the Hospitals Management Board, Dr M.B Olatunji, said it is an established fact that FGM is practised by healthcare providers with 18 per cent of cases carried out by them in established health facilities, adding that data available reveals that 600,000 FGM cases are carried out by healthcare providers annually.
He attributed the high figure of FGM carried out by healthcare providers to the fact that constant sensitisation on the harmful effects of FGM even to the grassroots level has created a level of awareness, but rather than stop the bad act, people now go to healthcare providers to get it done based on the belief that it will be less painful and much safer.
He reiterated that going to healthcare providers does not make the act of FGM right, adding that the act is a willful damage to healthy organs without any therapeutic benefit, it is unethical, a medical malpractice and child abuse.
In a lecture on FGM prevalence in Oyo State, Mrs Bilkis Oluwakemi Olawoyin from the Ministry of Health, said there is a need to identify FGM as a major issue which creates irreversible damage to girls in the state, adding that in spite of the obvious reduction in the figures, existing figures are still too high to overlook.
According to her, there are four types of FGM: clitoridectomy, which is the total removal of the clitoris; excision which is the partial or total removal of the clitoris and the labia; infibulations which is the narrowing of vaginal opening and the unclassified type which covers various forms of damages, including the use of chemicals.
She stated that though there is high prevalence of FGM cases in the 33 local government areas of the state, it is high in six local governments.
He listed factors that encourage FGM to include religious obligation, unfounded beliefs that it poses risks during childbirth and that it is a tool to control women, belief that it is the same as circumcision as well as tradition.
Speaking on behalf of the Safe Cut project which is sponsorship from the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UN Trust fund), Isaiah Owolabi, said the project is determined to reduce the prevalence of FGM and eradicate it in three years by collaborating with stakeholders and enhancing capacity of established network and improving law enforcement system.
He added that the project will build capacity of stakeholders, create and strengthen FGM alliance, ascertain knowledge prevalence and contributing factors as well as create an active network of people committed to fight FGM in the society.
According to him, the major focus of the project is to ensure that girls are protected from FGM by working with key stakeholders and communities to promote better policy implementation and community awareness to end the harmful practice and continuous violation of women’s rights.
Also speaking, the director of the Oyo State Directorate of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mrs Dolapo Dosunmu, said her agency as a result of its close interaction with the grassroots communities has with support from its partners been privileged to play a lead role in the campaign against FGM in Oyo State and other states of the SouthWest.
She added that perpetrators of the act justify their actions with various issues.
“Having engaged stakeholders at the community level to change their perceptions and knowledge on FGM together with partners from the ministry of Health, we learnt some useful lessons that we were able to use to fine-tune our strategies. The people raised many issues to justify FGM practice.
“To them, FGM is a religious mandate though this has been proved to be false by religious leaders who claim that there is no religion; Christianity, Islam or traditional worship that compels female circumcision. They claim it is to help prevent sexual promiscuity in women but surveys have revealed that most woman and girls practising prostitution are circumcised and because they are not easily sexually satisfied, they engage multiple sexual partners,” she said.
She called on other relevant stakeholders to be actively involved in the campaign for effective synergy, adding that networking should be established for impact. She pledged the unwavering support of her organization to the success of activities of the Safe Cut project.
As all stakeholders gear up for a three-year run in the battle against FGM in Oyo State, there is optimism among them that the act will be eradicated with collaboration among key stakeholders.
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