Female Genital Mutilation: Community Should Set up Watchdog Group

Female Genital Mutilation also known as Female Circumcision is a common practice in which children and young girls are subjected to injury to the female organs for non-medical reasons.

Female genital mutilation is considered by experts as a procedure that can cause severe bleeding and problems with urinating which could lead to infections, infertility as well as complications during child- birth for women.

The procedure is also viewed as a violation of the human rights of girls and women.

Stakeholders,however,advocate the enforcement of existing law and involvement of rural community as a watch-dog at ensuring an end to the practice.

A family physician in Oyo State Dr. Ebunlomo Walker who said the practice was still common in some communities in the southwest Nigeria said it was high time government enforced existing laws to protect children as well as raise awareness on the danger inherent in the practice.

An Osun state social worker, Mrs Bosede Adeniji said the way forward at achieving zero tolerance against this practice was to raise army of volunteers who will serve as a watchdog in the community.

Two advocates for social change, Mr. Emmanuel Olashore in Abuja and Mrs. Florence Olusanya in Ekiti state condemned the practice and called for social mobilization among non-government organisations and international agencies at ensuring that female children.

They maintained that the attribution of culture and religion to the practice of female genital cutting was unfounded.