The Gender/Family Planning coordinator in the Ministry of Health, Mrs Olukemi Akinleye spoke on behalf of the state government, while inaugurating the Local Technical Committee on Female Genital Mutilation, (FGM) in Ikere-Ekiti.
She tasked fathers and mothers to assist relevant stakeholders in prevailing over their wives and daughters in the society to stamp out female circumcision.
She stressed that the involvement of the head of every house and in the stoppage of the scourge became imperative due to the fact that no woman would circumcise her child without the consent of the father.
She reminded the committee members that a law against the Act had been enacted since 2002 in the state, but stressed that lack of sensitization had hampered the enforcement of the child right law.
“A law to prohibit Female circumcision or Genital Mutilation, No 6, 2002, Ekiti State of Nigeria, titled: Female Circumcision (Prohibition) law, was enacted by the House of Assembly.
“It provides that no person shall circumcise or mutilate the genital organ of any female child, whether or not her consent is obtained. Any person, who performs the operation of FGM, coerces, entices, induces, any person to undergo female circumcision or caused her genital organ to be mutilated is guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine of N10,000 or a term of imprisonment not exceeding two years in the first instance and to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3years without an option of fine for every subsequent conviction.”
She noted that circumcision may result in disastrous consequences on the physical and mental health of the victim.
from dailypost
Do people still practice this act? This is worrisome and eyesore. Which tribe still perpetuate this act on the female child? A strong law should be enacted against this act.
ReplyDeleteTeejay, yes people still do, my sister in law did last year, when o heard of it I was mad, couldn't believe it, as educated as she is. I even took time to educate her the more that it was wrong and she insisted to still do of she have her next baby.
DeleteI told her I was going to sue her if she does but what can I do, is between she and her husband.
You mean education couldn't change her mindset? I am shock hearing this.
DeleteI like this
ReplyDeleteMIL came for few yrs back and expressed her support for female circumsission. When I stated that it was wrong, she said it curbs promiscuity in girls because a lot the young girls back home are busy sleeping around with older men. I just sternly looked at her and told her it is a crime here and anyone who tries it will definitely go to jail irrespective of culture or age. I also tried to explain that those girls sleeping with old men back home isn’t because they enjoy it, it’s mainly because of money so whether they gain pleasure from sex or not, they’ll still do it if it fetches them the money they desperately yearn for. And this woman is well educated. A lot of these parents are just stuck on “culture” and “tradition”. Sad
DeleteWetin concern agberu with overload! See nothing wrong in performing FGM, as this act is part of their traditional practice. Our HMO do cover male circumcision, while NHS in GB have no place for such practice.
ReplyDeleteyou won't believe that my friend's dad who happens to be a doctor. Circumcise his daughters. In fact the last girl is just 10years old .
ReplyDeletePlease supermom is this doctor a medical doctor or veterinary doctor abi na PhD. I really doubt if a well trained medical doctor that did O and G posting will do that to the daughter knowing the consequences both medically , psychologically and other wise
DeleteStella, maybe you should do a post about this issue and allow medical professionals here to comment about the ills of this practice and also talk about some of their patients who suffered as a result of their parents actions/ignorance, the quality of lives they were able to live and how and if they were able to be treated. I read a few comments now and just realized a lot of people especially woman are still very uninformed about FGM and the multitude of issues it brings to females.
Deletethere is a very popular women's "group" on fb that advocates this practice as well as pressing of girls breasts so they dont "grow big and attract men"
ReplyDeleteI don't have the statistics but I am sure numbers of circumcised females doubles the uncircumcised.
ReplyDeleteQuite unfortunate I must say.
When I had my daughter, my MIL asked me if we were going to circumcise my her. The way I looked at her ehn, I'm sure she got the message straight up and stopped talking about it immediately.
ReplyDeleteHonestly I have no problem with fgm as long as the girls chose it themselves, use hygiene practice and are of age. If we can let people have cosmetic surgery why not fgm?
ReplyDeleteThis is from the world health organization website.
DeleteKey facts
-Female genital mutilation (FGM) includes procedures that intentionally alter or cause injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.
-The procedure has no health benefits for girls and women.
-Procedures can cause severe bleeding and problems urinating, and later cysts, infections, as well as complications in childbirth and increased risk of newborn deaths.
-More than 200 million girls and women alive today have been cut in 30 countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia where FGM is concentrated (1).
FGM is mostly carried out on young girls between infancy and age 15.
FGM is a violation of the human rights of girls and women.
Female genital mutilation (FGM)
Plus it causes other marital issues once those girls grow up and get married. They have problems in the bedroom with thier husbands because their sex drives have been killed or damaged. They also have problems either conceiving, carried pregnancies to term or problems during childbirth.
A toddler - 15year old girl is not fit to make such decisions and it is rather pointless and heartless of parents to put their daughter/s through all that unnecessary danger.......
No health benefits, only harm
DeleteFGM has no health benefits, and it harms girls and women in many ways. It involves removing and damaging healthy and normal female genital tissue, and interferes with the natural functions of girls' and women's bodies. Generally speaking, risks increase with increasing severity of the procedure.
Immediate complications can include:
severe pain
excessive bleeding (haemorrhage)
genital tissue swelling
fever
infections e.g., tetanus
urinary problems
wound healing problems
injury to surrounding genital tissue
shock
death.
Long-term consequences can include:
urinary problems (painful urination, urinary tract infections);
vaginal problems (discharge, itching, bacterial vaginosis and other infections);
menstrual problems (painful menstruations, difficulty in passing menstrual blood, etc.);
scar tissue and keloid;
sexual problems (pain during intercourse, decreased satisfaction, etc.);
increased risk of childbirth complications (difficult delivery, excessive bleeding, caesarean section, need to resuscitate the baby, etc.) and newborn deaths;
need for later surgeries: for example, the FGM procedure that seals or narrows a vaginal opening (type 3) needs to be cut open later to allow for sexual intercourse and childbirth (deinfibulation). Sometimes genital tissue is stitched again several times, including after childbirth, hence the woman goes through repeated opening and closing procedures, further increasing both immediate and long-term risks;
psychological problems (depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, low self-esteem, etc.);
health complications of female genital mutilation.
Isn't that the same thing as cosmetic surgery? If an eighteen year old wants to have fgm, who are to say otherwise? Many surgeries are carried out each year that has no medical benefits
Delete