The Nigerian Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) Lagos State Chapter joins the rest of the world to commemorate the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
This year’s theme “Partnering with Men and Boys to Transform Social and Gender Norms to End FGM” calls on the global community to partner with men and boys and foster their engagement to accelerate the elimination of this harmful practice and uplift the voices of women and girls.
According to The World Health Organization (WHO), more than 200 million girls and women have suffered FGM in 30 countries across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia where it is performed. The act, which is typically performed on young girls between the ages of one and fifteen, is evil in its entirety because it is done without consideration for a woman’s future and ultimately kills her sexuality.
The association condemned the act of FGM as a destructive practice in which the female genital organs are partially or completely removed.
According to the Chairperson of NAWOJ Comrade Adeola Ekine, “This horrible deed is done without medical reasons and it needs to cease to avert more harm to our young ladies,”.
She added that “it indicates continued gender inequality and is a serious sort of injustice against girls and women”.
A young woman’s right to life, in cases where it results in death, as well as her right to health, safety, and physical integrity, as well as her right to be free from torture and other cruel, inhumane, or humiliating treatment, are all violated by FGM.
The practice can cause excessive bleeding, urinary problems, cysts, infections, challenging deliveries, and an increased risk of stillbirth for girls and women. It also has no beneficial effects on their health. Lagos NAWOJ is urging the proper authorities to ensure that the practice is entirely eliminated in all the tribes that are still engaged in it.
