The Wellspring Outreach and Support Foundation, Nigeria, has raised concern over the continued practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in parts of the country despite laws against the harmful practise.
The organisation said that the harmful practice remains widespread despite existing laws prohibiting it.
A director of the foundation, Mrs Adelayo Ojo-Nkom, made this known in Ibadan while speaking on the organisation’s month-long social media advocacy against FGM.
Ojo-Nkom described FGM as a deeply harmful practice that still persists in many communities, including in Oyo State.
According to her, FGM, known by different local names in Yoruba communities, has several forms, all of which remain dangerous to the health and wellbeing of the girl child.
She said some forms involved partial or total removal of the clitoris, while others included severe mutilation and even stitching of the vaginal opening.
“FGM is very deadly to the girl child, in fact, extremely deadly.
“It has caused mortality in many cases. Some girls bleed excessively after the act and die, while others develop infections that eventually lead to death,” she said.
Ojo-Nkom said that beyond the immediate physical risks, survivors of FGM often suffered lifelong trauma, painful childbirth, sexual dysfunction and psychological disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
She equally said that many women subjected to FGM also experienced pain during sexual intercourse and were denied the fullness of marital intimacy.
According to her, the practice often turns what should be a joyful beginning of marriage into a traumatic experience for many women.
Ojo-Nkom blamed the persistence of FGM on deeply entrenched cultural beliefs, misinformation and the role of older women as custodians of the practice.
“Women are often the gatekeepers of this culture. It is the grandmothers who take their granddaughters. It is the mothers who insist on it.
“Some girls are made to believe that if they are not cut, they will not get married, they will not be able to give birth, or that their children will be abnormal,” she said.
Ojo-Nkom said such beliefs were false and had no medical or moral basis, stressing that promiscuity and moral decline in society could not be linked to whether or not FGM was performed.
She said the foundation’s advocacy had revealed that even some young women still supported the practice because they had been socialised to see it as normal.
According to her, this shows that the country still has a long way to go in changing attitudes and social norms around FGM.
She called on parents, traditional leaders, women groups and community influencers to speak out and reject the practice.
“Everybody should be an advocate against FGM. It should stop. We should not encourage it,” she said.
Ojo-Nkom also reminded the public that FGM is a criminal offence under the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act, 2015, noting that anyone who performs, aids or abets the act risks fines or imprisonment.
She, however, lamented that enforcement remained weak, as many people still treated the issue as a private family matter.
“Even when people know it is wrong, they say it is not my business or that it is family matter, just so that peace will reign.
“That silence is one of the reasons the practice continues,” she said.
As part of its campaign, the foundation unveiled an anti-FGM pledge encouraging individuals to take personal responsibility in ending the practice.
The pledge reads: “I will not be the one to hold the child down. I will not be the one to pay the cutter. I will be the voice that says: The cutting stops with me.”
Ojo-Nkom said the pledge was designed to challenge harmful social norms and inspire collective action against FGM in homes and communities.
She urged Nigerians to become vocal in resisting the practice and protecting the rights and dignity of the girl child.
