The National Orientation Agency (NOA), in conjunction with UNICEF, have added impetus to the fight against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Imo State.
The Imo State director, NOA, Mrs. StellaMaris Demian-Igwe stressed that they are working tirelessly and collaboratively with UNICEF, so as to eliminate the obnoxious practice.
She submitted that the rights and privileges of the girl child must be protected and all hands must be on deck, so as to make same a reality.
According to her, “We must rise and counter the ugly narratives of abuse of the rights of girls and women in our society.”
She observed that the obnoxious practice comprises all procedures that involve altering or injuring the female genitalia for non-medical reasons and is recognised internationally as a violation of the human rights of girls and women.
Mrs.Demian-Igwe stressed that the non-medical practice reflects deep-rooted inequality between the sexes and constitutes an extreme form of discrimination against women and girls.
She added that the practice violates their rights to health, security and physical integrity, their right to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment as well as their right to life when the procedure results in death. She, therefore, called for attitudinal change.
She explained that President Bola Tinubu-led administration promoted the abandonment of FGM with coordinated and systematic efforts.
Through the agency, Mrs Demian-Igwe said, the federal government engages the grassroots, communities and focus on human rights and gender equality. These efforts, she noted, emphasises societal dialogue and the empowerment of communities to act collectively to end the practice.
She praised the federal government for addressing the sexual and reproductive health needs of women and girls who suffer from its consequences.
Isiala Mbano LGA chairman, Hon. Chika Okoroike, stressed that the council has embarked on sensitization of the rural populace which led to the near elimination of the practice within the various communities.
According to him, the council has set up a mechanism to ensure the populace desist from this obnoxious practice.
He said that the state government has domesticated the law and that ignorance of the law is not an excuse.
Hon Okoroike submitted that anyone operating outside the armpit of the law in this respect must face the full weight of the law.
In his contribution, the executive director Community and Youth Development Initiatives (CYDI) Felix Fame Enisire  advised Nigerians against pressing or massaging a baby girl’s genitalia with vaseline, saying the practice was considered a harmful traditional practice.
The executive director of CYDI gave the admonition at a one-day Youth Summit titled “End Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)” in Ezihe community in Isiala Mbano local government area of the state.
He explained the various forms of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence with emphasis on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), particularly the disturbing trend of Type IV FGM: Unclassified.
“This includes harmful procedures like piercing the clitoris, cauterization, cutting the vagina, and using corrosive substances,” he stated.
