FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION A TORTURE ON WOMEN -NCWS
Some wom
en in Enugu State want government at all levels to do more to eliminate Female Genital Mutilation which they describe as an outright violation of human rights deeply rooted in gender inequality and discrimination.
They made the call in reaction to this year’s International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation.
Female Genital Mutilation also known as female circumcision comprises all procedures that involve altering or injuring the female genitalia for non-medical reasons.
Speaking on the essence of the Day, the President, National Council for Women Societies (NCWS) Enugu State, Mrs. Beatrice Chukwonwe, laments the plights of women and girls who have suffered mutilation, describing it as a form of torture on women.
As the advocacy on zero tolerance to female genital mutilation draws global concern, what is the level of sensitization of people in Enugu State towards ending the practice?
The Enugu State, Commissioner for Gender Affairs and Social Development, Princess Peace Nnaji says the State Government has intensified sensitization on the harmful effects of the exercise.
“We are not relenting, we are sensitizing them because it is a big offence for any mother to have her daughter circumcised; there is no gain whatsoever in female circumcision.”
A Gynecologist, Doctor Uche Agu explains that there are many medical implications of female circumcision.
“We have VVF, meaning Vesico Vaginal Fistula, when the wound heals, it could form a scare that could even obscure or even make sexual intercourse very difficult; then during delivery, it could cause some level of difficulty.”
An Enugu based lawyer, Mr. Cosmos Okolo noted that Female Genital Mutilation under the Child’s Rights Act is a criminal offence that is subject to punishment.
The Respondents who note that some parents are still ignorant of the harmful effects of Female Genital Mutilation urge mothers to say no to female circumcision to save the young generation of women from falling victim of the practice.
EVELYN AWUNOR