By Asma’u Ahmad
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has urged state governments to have a comprehensive legislation to criminalise female genital mutilation and ensure strict enforcement to serve as deterrent.
Speaking at the launch of ‘End Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting’ organised by the wife of Imo Governor, Mrs. Nkechi Okorocha, in Owerri, the Chief of Field Office UNICEF ‘A’, Mr. Charles Nzuki, urged the governments to also revisit the Violence against Persons Prohibition Bill.
He said that state governments should further demonstrate political will by ensuring budgetary allocation and release of financial resources through dedicated budget lines in the relevant ministries.
Mr. Nzuki said that Imo had the fourth highest mutilation prevalence rate in the country, adding that the programme provided an excellent opportunity for the government and the people, with development partners to end it.
He said that Nigeria must abandon FGM as it was one of the reasons women died during childbirth and suffer from Vesico Virginal Fistula, painful menstruation and sexual intercourse.
Nzuki said that through FGM, women were also exposed to life-threatening infections such as HIV and tetanus, among others.
In his address, Governor Rochas Okorocha expressed shock that Imo was among the states that had the highest prevalence of FGM.
Okorocha said the country’s constitution abhorred obnoxious practices against women and children.
He said that any cultural and traditional practices that encouraged primitive and unwholesome attitude must be discarded.
Governor Okorocha pledged the support of his government to any move to stop the practice and called on all to rise to the occasion to ensure that Imo was removed from the list of states still practicing FGM.
On her part, Mrs. Okorocha appointed the ‘End FGM Ambassadors’ in the 27 local government areas of the state, the 305 wards and 3,523 booth ambassador .
