United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has decried the prevalence rate of female genital mutilation and cutting (FGM/C) in the South East, calling for more efforts to stem the tide.
Chief of UNICEF Field Office in Enugu, Mrs Juliet Chiluwe, stated this during a zonal media dialogue with journalists, media executives, and civil society organisations in commemoration of 2025 international day of zero tolerance for female genital mutilation, held in Enugu on Wednesday.
She said: “The practice of FGM/C is rooted in gender inequality and power imbalances between men and women — and it sustains them by limiting opportunities for girls and women to realize their rights and full potential in terms of health, education, income, and equality.
“Female genital mutilation violates the fundamental rights of girls. comprises all procedures that involve altering or injuring the female genitalia for non-medical reasons and is recognized internationally as a violation of the human rights, the health and the integrity of girls and women.
“It violates fundamental human rights such as the right to health, life, physical and mental integrity and freedom from torture, and can result in complications from detrimental physical and psychological as well as social and economic impacts lasting throughout childhood, reproductive years, and old age.
“It is a form of gender-based violence, a harmful practice against women and girls, and a public health challenge. It is often undertaken as a traditional rite of passage aimed at limiting sexual enjoyment and ‘protecting female chastity’.
“We still have unacceptable prevalence rates across the Southeast states, with Imo state ranking first at 38% prevalence among women age 15-49 years and 9.7% prevalence among girls age 0-14 years.
“Similarly, prevalence among women age 15-49 years in Ebonyi, Abia, Enugu and Anambra states stands at 20.4%, 20.3%, 19% and 13.1% respectively. For girls aged 0-14 years, prevalence stands at 3.7%, 3.0%, 2.1% and 0.2% respectively for Enugu, Abia, Anambra and Ebonyi states,” she said.
Earlier, a public health consultant and lead resource person at the zonal dialogue, Dr Chikezie Obasi, while speaking on the theme: ‘Stepping Up The Pace: Strengthening Alliances And Building Movements To End FGM’, called for collaboration among media practitioners to end the practice.
He said: “According to UNICEF 2024, Nigeria has the highest number of FGM survivors in the world with 19.9million women affected. Over 230million girls and women worldwide have undergone FGM/C. It is also estimated that $1.4billion is expended annually on management of complications arising from it.”
He listed some FGM/C practices to include clitoridectomy, excision, infibulation and piercing of the clitoris, which he said has become a sort of fashion for some young women. He also listed the consequences to include; bleeding, infection, shock, urination difficulty among others.
He called on media practitioners to continue to put the matter in the front burner and also disseminate information that will enlighten the people and also highlight the dangers of the practice
