The International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a UN-organised event for advocacy towards eradicating the menace.
Nigeria, through the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), has called on well-meaning individuals and organisations to join the fight against female genital mutilation (FGM).
Nigeria, through the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), has called on well-meaning individuals and organisations to join the fight against female genital mutilation (FGM).
NHRC’s Executive Secretary, Tony Ojukwu (SAN), made the call on Sunday in commemoration of the 2022 World Day of Zero Tolerance for the practice of FGM, according to a statement by the commission’s deputy director of public affairs, Fatima Mohammed.
“The commission is calling on to well-meaning individuals and organisations to join its resolve to do more in matters concerning zero tolerance for FGM in the country,” the statement quoted Mr Ojukwu as saying.
He added that the commission had always led efforts to eradicate the unsightly, unhealthy, harmful, and degrading practice of FGM over the years.
He recalled the findings of several studies that highlighted severe protection and oversight inadequacies in national and international frameworks for survivors of FGM.
In partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Civil Resource Documentation Development Centre (CIRDDOC), Mr Ojukwu said the NHRC had prepared a training manual on human rights and other FGM-related concerns in Nigeria.
“The manual which was developed in 2017 has continued to be a source of reference material to academia, development partners and the public across the globe,” Mr Ojukwu said
Mr Ojukwu said the Manual provides a general background analysis of women’s human rights and Female Genital Mutilation, which is a type of violence against women and girls.
He added that the Manual also provides a guide for reporting FGM in line with the prescribed standards.
World Day of Zero Tolerance against FGM
FGM, according to the United Nations (UN), “comprises all procedures that involve altering or injuring the female genitalia for non-medical reasons”.
It is recognised internationally as a violation of the human rights, the health and the integrity of girls and women, the global organisation says, as it aims to have it eradicated around the world by 2030.
The International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation is a UN-organised event for advocacy towards eradicating the menace.
It is marked on February 6 of every year.
It was first introduced in 2003 and is now being marked in major countries in the world. The annual event is part of advocacy for women’s rights to their bodies and the protection of their physical health, which can have a significant impact later in life.
According to World Health Organization (WHO) figures, about 120 to 140 million women have been subjected to FGM over the years, and at least 3 million girls are at danger each year.
Dataphyte had reported in 2020 that 2 in 10 Nigerian women have been circumcised.
According to the report, “20 per cent of Nigerian women aged 15 to 49 have been circumcised. Even more troubling, 86 per cent of the circumcision took place before the female’s fifth birthday”.
PREMIUM TIMES had also reported in 2018 how 13 percent of women – about one out of every 10 – who have been genitally mutilated in Nigeria were done by medical professionals.
The report stated that despite the increasing campaigns against the barbaric act, many medical professionals continued to engage in the act, thus causing a setback to the eradication process of the practice.
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