In Ebonyi, NGO Partners Journalists To End FGM

A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Center for Social Value and Early Childhood Development (CESVED) weekend sought the partnership of journalists in Ebonyi state to end Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

The group during a two-day training workshop organised for journalists at Saltlake hotels, Abakaliki, the state capital enjoined the media to use its influence to reach out to the stakeholders to end FGM.

Speaking to journalists, President of CESVED, Mrs. Gift Augustine Abu, said the aim of the training was to help journalists know how to end the act through their different media platforms.

While expressing shock on the drop rate of prevention cases in Ebonyi state, Abu commended the wife of the state governor, Mrs Rachel Umahi, and her partners towards ensuring that FGM becomes a thing of the past.

“In South South and South East, Ebonyi was ranking the highest, followed by Imo state. In the country, Ebonyi state is ranking the third in the list. I’m very shock to notice that Ebonyi state Is declining, they are climbing lower in the prevalence rate, that means, her excellency, the media and the stakeholders are working tirelessly towards it.

“There is serious need why we are working towards ending FGM and also using the media. We want the media to use their platforms to carry out this campaign using the right words to get to the people in order to achieve 2030 proposal of ending FGM in country.

“We are also ensuring that this campaign reaches the schools, the town criers in the local levels. We are also ensuring we use football competition to also campaign and having a smaller community council units to see if this people can reach to them to campaign within Southeast and South South.

“In the schools, we formed EndFGM clubs, but this project is coming to solidify it more because this time around we are not only looking at the primary schools, we are looking at both the Secondary schools and also looking at bringing the people from the communities to participate in the football competitions.”

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