 states that FGM has no health benefits and harms girls and women in many ways){kind=link}
Female genital mutilation (FGM) remains a pervasive problem in Nigeria and Africa, despite efforts to eradicate it. The practice is often justified as a way to enhance marriage prospects and reduce promiscuity. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) states that FGM has no health benefits and harms girls and women in many ways.
FGM is recognized as a grave violation of women’s and girls’ human rights in Nigeria. The Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act (VAPP Act) prohibits FGM nationwide, but the practice persists, with many cases going unreported.
Women often fear reporting FGM due to repercussions on their marriages and societal stigma. Recent findings show that women face coercion from in-laws to subject their daughters to FGM, which can lead to physical assaults, threats, and financial oppression.
According to UNICEF, approximately 19.9 million women in Nigeria are survivors of FGM. To eradicate FGM, compulsory education, women’s empowerment, and intensified advocacy are necessary.
As social crusader Eunice Okere emphasizes, “Serious women empowerment is needed to reduce over-dependence on husbands, making women capable of standing up for their daughters against this menace.”
Concerted action is needed to protect girls’ and women’s rights. As Okere aptly puts it, “It becomes imperative to intensify advocacy by all well-meaning individuals against this ugly situation.”