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Ivo and Ishielu local government areas of Ebonyi state are set to publicly denounce the practice of Female Genital Mutilation, FGM.
The LGAs made up of about 24 communities have been meeting with National Orientation Agency NOA, Ebonyi state branch with the support of United Nations Children Fund, UNICEF to ensure the practice becomes a thing of the past.
In their meetings, traditional rulers, religious leaders and other stakeholders where taught on the need to end the harmful practices done on women and girl children.
They were also educated on the Violence against Persons, Prohibition, VAPP law of the state as was enacted by the state House of Assembly in 2018.
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Speaking, Ebonyi state Director of NOA,Dr Emmanuel Abbah who also spoke on behalf of UNICEF disclosed that with constant sensitization in the state since 2016 till date, the state dropped from being 2nd in the practice to 3rd in the Southeast zone of Nigeria.
He further advised parents to protect their children and wards from their grandmothers against FGM.
“Yes, it is a good day because all the churches, the religious leaders in Ishielu and Ivo local government have come together to agree to end FGM in Ishielu and they have agreed to put it in all the platform existing in the churches to make sure this obnoxious practice is stopped.
“They have seen the harmful practices that are not good, they are not beneficial as they have said it and they have keyed into the campaign I think this will lead to final nail on the coffin of FGM in Ishielu.
On the prevalent rate of FGM in the state, Abah said, “this is ongoing. Remember we use to be second we have moved now to third, look at the percentage. Imo that used to be third is now second so by the time we finish declaration, we are going to take Ivo, Ishielu now for declaration so the more declaration you make, the more your rating increases. FGM has gone down from about 70% to 50% enomous work has been done .
“To parents, parents must take care of this responsibility because they are the people who own these children and the people who Advocate for FGM and the people who do it and those in the community, it is a social norm they agreed to be doing they have the people they will call in the community and say this thing we agreed to be doing let’s Abaddon it . The parents should guide against grandmothers and in laws from taking this Children to go and cut with this our number will continue to reduce”.
In a communique, the religious leaders agreed to include EndFGM campaign in the church activities, identify and protect girls at risk of FGM in Ishielu and impose fine on any church member caught in the act.
NAN
