Osun trains law enforcement agents on upholding legislation on FGM

Though there had been widespread condemnation against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) for a long time, African communities continue to engage in the circumcision of the girl child, ignoring the evils and health hazards associated with the act.

The commercial value to local birth attendants, including the “Oloolas or Alabe” remains one of the reasons the act continues to thrive as they believe that anyone that campaigns against the act wants to rob them of their source of livelihood. So, they would rather allow the ladies live a live devoid of sexual pleasure and the risk of death.

However, Osun state has decided to tackle the menace upfront especially based on the record that the state has been on the watch list of local and international stakeholders in the health sector as a state with high prevalence of FGM cases at a rate that is over 70 per cent in South West Nigeria, making it the highest in that zone.

By recent records, Osun is ranked the highest in South West Nigeria with a 76.3 per cent prevalence rate followed by Ekiti state with 71.2 per cent, then Oyo state with 69.7 per cent, Ebonyi with 55.6 per cent followed closely by Imo state with 48.8 per cent and Lagos state with 44.8 per cent.

Osun is however not complacent; the government and the wife of the governor, Alhaja Sherifat Aregbesola through her foundation, SHERICARE have been moving towards putting a stop to the trend by advocating for strong laws to ensure enforcement of the right of every girl child against FGM.

Towards attaining this, a two-day training  on the Enforcement of Laws against Female Genital Mutilation/Circumcision (FGMC) was packaged by the Centre for Women’s Health and Information (CEWHIN) a non-governmental Organisation based in Lagos in collaboration with the Civil Resource Development and Documentation Centre (CIRDDOC)  with support from The UNFPA/UNICEF.

The training, which is one of the strategies mapped out to get around the menace in a bid to accelerate the abandonment of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM/C) held at the conference hall of the Leisure Spring Hotels, Osogbo, for the rank and file of the Nigeria Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), Nigeria Immigration Services (NIS) and other paramilitary agencies.

The Programmes Coordinator of CEWHIN, Mrs. Adebanke Akinrimisi, stated that the training will aid the campaign and expressed optimism that there will be a permanent end to FGM, adding that same workshop will be held in Ekiti and Oyo States to further force down the FGM  prevalence.

In attendance at the training were the Osun State Commissioners for Health, Dr. Isa Isamotu and the Commission for Women Affairs who was represented by the Director, Women Affairs.

In his goodwill message, the Hon. Commissioner for Health commended the Nigerian Police and the National Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) for releasing their officers to participate in the training, noting that reports show that Osun State has the highest prevalence of the practice of FGM/C in the country despite the fact that the State passed the Female Circumcision and Genital Mutilation Prohibition Law in 2004.

He expressed the hope that following the training, the law enforcement officers will enforce the law and expedite the total abandonment of the practice in the state, adding that the negative impact of the practice on the health and wellbeing of women and girls can be highly devastating which calls for the need for multipronged approach to its elimination.

In emphasising the importance of the training, the Commissioner for Women Affairs observed that it is a welcome development that the Police and Civil Defense are being equipped with skills for effective enforcement of the law. This major activity she said will build on all previous efforts of the Ministry and other Stakeholders in the state over the years in trying to ensure that the harmful traditional practice becomes a thing of the past.