NGO Condemns Mutilation of Girl Child as Dangerous

An NGO warns that it is dangerous for girls to be mutilated.

NGO warns of dangers of female genital mutilation, partners with UNFPA and Osun State government to raise awareness and promote abandonment in five communities.

Action Health Incorporated, a non-governmental organization, has raised awareness within the OSUN community about the need to end female genital mutilation (FGM) in the state with the help of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and in partnership with the Osun State government.

The NGO educated the community members about the risks of female genital mutilation and engaged them in brainstorming ways to encourage female genital mutilation abandonment in their communities during an interactive session with leaders and stakeholders from five communities in the state's Ede North Local Government Area: Orogunsogo, Ibiyemi, Tanimola, Ayeloja, and Railway Communities.

The NGO said that the program, which began on Wednesday, ended on Saturday in a statement provided to our reporter by Fatimah Idris, a spokesperson of the organization

“Four LGAs where FGM exists have been selected for this project, and they are: Ede North, Egbedore, Orolu and Osogbo. From each of these LGAs, five communities were further selected for the abandonment of this harmful practice.”

According to her, “The programme is to educate the traditional rulers, community leaders, religious leaders, and other key stakeholders on the adverse effects of female genital mutilation, and garner their support in identifying strategies to promote FGM abandonment in these selected communities.”

“Four LGAs where FGM exists have been selected for this project, and they are: Ede North, Egbedore, Orolu and Osogbo. From each of these LGAs, five communities were further selected for the abandonment of this harmful practice.”

According to her, “The programme is to educate the traditional rulers, community leaders, religious leaders, and other key stakeholders on the adverse effects of female genital mutilation, and garner their support in identifying strategies to promote FGM abandonment in these selected communities.”

“Our campaigns have been yielding positive results. We have been receiving success stories from past participants of the program on how they have been able to protect and rescue female babies in their communities from FGM that would have been performed on them by their parents. Our trained surveillance team and Anti-FGM Champions have also been actively change the minds of parents from the harmful practice through their door-to- door sensitization.

“Also records have shown that the issue of female genital mutilation has decreased in Osun State. So, there has been a great impact,” the statement added.