The Director, Centre for Population and Reproductive Health, Professor Oladosu Ojengbede, has advocated increasing awareness among families and communities to eliminate the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
Pro Ojengbede stated this Thursday at a workshop organized by the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists ( NAWOJ), Oyo state chapter, in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNPFA) to mark the 2021 International Day for the elimination of violence against women and girls held at the Institute of Church and Society, Samonda, Ibadan.
The Director, Centre for Population and Reproductive Health in his paper, entitled “Let’s Prevent Gender Based Violence with Focus on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) ” described the practice as a deadly health risk against women and girls in Nigeria.
According to Ojengbede, sexual violence, physical violence, emotional and psychological are major violence against women and that FGM was not only an archaic practice around different parts of the world , but extremely painful and distressing infection risk.
Emphasizing that Nigeria has the world’s third highest Female Genital Mutilation burden with 19.9 million Nigerian girls and women between the ages of 15-49 underwent Female Genital Mutilation between 2014 and 2015, he lamented that many women in Nigeria have lost their lives to the practice.
” There is the need to raise awareness among families and communities. Build the capacity of individuals to protect themselves and recover from acts of Gender Based Violence , for instance by encouraging equal participation of men and women in all community activities and supporting education and vocational training programmes , income generating activities and literacy programmes that empower women and girls”, he said.
Prof Ojengbede added: ” build the capacity of the local community by rebuilding families and community support systems, particularly women’s/youth groups and organizations , including by encouraging social and recreational programmes.”
The Executive Director , Hacey Health ( Nigeria), Mrs Rhoda Robinson said many innocent girls were subjected to daily agony by the scars of Gender Based Violence and that about 60 percent of Nigerian women are suffering as victims of Female Genital Mutilation, while some have lost their lives to the practice.
Robinson then called for total collaboration of all stakeholders , as well community involvement in creating needed awareness against Females Genital Mutilation and that there should be bottom -top approach and vice versa ,to build capacity that will outlive those that started the advocacy.
Oyo state Chairperson of Nigeria Association of Women Journalists ( NAWOJ) Comrade Jadesola Ajibola while speaking frowned at the unholy practice of Female Genital Mutilation in Nigerian communities.
The Oyo NAWOJ Chairperson said the society can only get better when all join hands to fight for the eradication of Gender Based Violence in the country, saying, “we all have a responsibility to protect our women and girls.
” Many Nigerian women are experiencing one form of violation or the other, and this remains a worrisome situation that faces us all. We must walk the talk, we must end violence against women and girls , we must come together to liberate our society and save the country from going down,” she said.