The United Nations Children’s Fund has said despite the law banning female circumcision in the country, the practice is not abating.
This was made known at a forum put together by UNICEF in conjunction with the United Nations Population Fund in Osogbo, Osun State.
It appears the choice of Osun State was deliberate as the state ranks among the highest where the practice is still predominant despite the law signed into force to curb it by former President Goodluck Jonathan.
The law came into force on May 28, 2015, the last day of Jonathan in office.
Speaking at the event in Osogbo, Prof. Modupe Onadeko, the National President of Inter-African Committee on Female Genital Mutilation, said the act is linked to history and religion and is regarded as a ritual or a must for both male and female.
Onadeko said in a lot of communities, the term circumcision is being linked to the boy child alone but in truth the ritual is also performed on females too but never to be discussed.
UNICEF has defined Female Genital Mutilation as the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or any other injuries to the female genital organ for non-medical reason.
Research has revealed that the practice is more dominant in the Southern part of Nigeria.
Osun, Ebonyi and Ekiti States are said to top the list of those involved in the practice.
The girls are usually circumcised between ages three and seven.
The Forum in Osogbo reiterated the reasons why the practice came into being.
These included the belief that it preserves the lady’s virginity before marriage because it will erase promiscuity, traditions and religion.
The Forum agreed that there are severe pains, serious bleeding, trauma, problems with urinating after this act or even the right to an enjoyable sex and most especially problem at child birth.
With all these disadvantages, it was agreed that it is saddening to still have this practice active in these communities, noting: “It should be known that there is a law that was signed into law on the very last day of the former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, against female circumcision, it is a crime! But it is also bad to know that there is no good follow up on the persecution of parents who still practice Female Genital Mutilation as FGM is now being done underground.”
At the conference, a couple of men were asked if their girl child was circumcised.
They all said no.
But the fact, according to the organisers of the Forum, is that most of the times this act is performed, the father is not there.
Only the mothers who are compelled or advised on why it is important for the act to be done on the innocent girl child are present.
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