FGM practitioners publicly abandon practice in Ekiti community

Practitioners of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in the Moferere community of Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital have abandoned the practice in the interest of the future of the girl child.

The practitioners abandoned the practice at a Stakeholders event organised by the New Generation Girls and Women Development Initiative (NIGAWD) supported by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for the people in the community at the weekend.

The community dialogue was attended by representatives of the landlord association, market women and men, religious and traditional leaders, youths and security agents.

The Executive Director of NIGAWD, Mrs Abimbola Aladejare-Salako noted that FGM practise was more prevalent in the grassroots hence the efforts of the organization in the last ten years to take the message to the people on the danger inherent in the continuous involvement in it.

She expressed regret that Ekiti State lead in the South West and ranked second in the country on state with the highest practice of female genital mutilation, adding that all efforts must be geared towards ending the unwholesome act in the state.

According to her, the research conducted by the group showed clearly that the people of Moferere believed in the practice, hence the decision of NIGAWD to stage the event and dialogue with all the stakeholders in the area.

Aladejare-Salako who is an FGM survivor revealed that the practice has series of physical, psychological and emotional effects on the girl child, saying that there are no justifiable reasons for the continued engagement in inflicting everlasting pains on the female child.

She said, “We have been in this campaign against FGM and we have come to the realisation that there is a need to go to the grassroots and talk to the people that matter on the need for practitioners to abandon the act.

“Female Genital Mutilation is a very harmful act and we have also trained people that take this message to the people at the grassroots on the need for our girl to be protected.

“Ekiti has 58 per cent in practice and Moferere is one of the areas which still believes hence the reason for bringing leaders in the area together and preaching against it.

“I want to also say that FGM has no correlation with promiscuity because we have seen that despite the practice here, people are still promiscuous. What is important is the lesson and advice will give to our female children.”

She added that women constitute fifty per cent of the entire population in the country and should be protected from all forms of abuse and other domestic violence for them to be able to achieve their potentials.

Speaking, the secretary Moferere landlord association, Mr Kayode Dada commended NIGAWD for its efforts and campaign against genital mutilation, assuring them that the people of the area would never go back to the practice.

Dada who stated that it is condemnable, unfashionable and against religious teaching for any girl child to be mutilated, explained that in their various meetings they would continue the campaign against the practice.

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FGM practitioners publicly abandon practice in Ekiti community