Five Oluyole Communities Declare End To Female Genital Mutilation, Pledge To Protect Girls

 By Seyifunmi Odunuga 

Not fewer than five communities in Oluyole Local Government Area of Oyo State have publicly declared an end to the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), pledging to protect girls and women from its harmful consequences.

The communities — Pegba, Idi-Osan, Adeyeri/Ayetoro, Onila and Egbeda-Atuba — made the declaration at a public ceremony marking the abandonment of FGM, held at Pegba Community Hall, Muslim Odinjo Area.

The event was organised by the Trailblazer Initiative Nigeria in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Oyo State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Inclusion.

Speaking at the event, the Child Protection Specialist, UNICEF Lagos Field Office, Mr Denis Onoise, said the organisation was working across five states under the Lagos Field Office — Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo and Edo — where FGM remained a concern.

Onoise said although the prevalence of FGM remained high in some communities, surveys and assessments conducted over the past five to six years had shown that the practice was gradually being abandoned in several communities.

He said UNICEF had encouraged its implementing partners to return to communities where interventions had been carried out over the years to assess their readiness to formally declare an end to FGM.

According to him, the five communities in Oluyole LGA had demonstrated their commitment by publicly declaring the abandonment of the practice, with their traditional leaders and community representatives present at the ceremony.

He said the communities had also agreed that anyone who attempted to continue the practice would face the consequences of the law and be reported to the police.

Onoise said the decision to abandon FGM was significant because the communities had arrived at it after receiving information on the health, human rights and reproductive health consequences associated with the practice.

He urged the communities to remain committed to their declaration and continue educating residents about the dangers of FGM.

He said: “This is their own thing because they have agreed by themselves that they have gotten adequate information to understand that FGM is actually not helping girls and women in their communities.”

He added that UNICEF would continue to provide technical support and relevant information to enable the communities to influence neighbouring communities that were yet to abandon the practice.

Onoise further disclosed that UNICEF and its partners had identified communities in four local government areas of Oyo State where FGM remained prevalent.

He said interventions were ongoing in those communities, expressing hope that more communities would join the campaign and formally declare an end to the practice before the end of the year.

Also speaking, the Executive Director of Trailblazer Initiative Nigeria, Dr Dare Olagoke-Adaramoye, described the event as the culmination of a series of interventions supported by UNICEF to encourage the five communities to abandon FGM.

He said the communities had decided to publicly declare that FGM would no longer be practised in their areas.

According to him, the communities had signed a document to formalise their commitment to abandoning the practice.

Olagoke-Adaramoye urged the traditional leaders and residents to remain committed to the declaration and intensify efforts to protect children, particularly girls, from FGM.

He also called on other communities yet to abandon the practice to emulate the five communities and take concrete steps towards ending FGM in their respective areas.

The representative of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr Taiwo Aina, commended the communities for taking what he described as a significant step towards ending FGM.

Aina urged residents to sustain the declaration and ensure that the practice did not return to their communities.

Some community leaders, including the Chief Imam of Pegba, Alhaji Akinlabi Bosere; a representative of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Chief Emmanuel Olu-Obidoyin; and Yeye Alara, Mrs Rosemary John, also spoke against FGM.

They stressed that abandoning the practice would contribute to better health outcomes and protect girls and women from complications associated with FGM.

They urged other communities to follow the example of the five communities and publicly reject the practice.

They also called on young people, both male and female, to make responsible choices and avoid behaviours that could expose them to sexually transmitted infections and other health risks.

The event featured the presentation of certificates and awards to the five traditional leaders and other prominent community members in recognition of their roles in the campaign against FGM.

Students trained by the Trailblazer Initiative Nigeria also entertained guests with cultural dances and a playlet highlighting the dangers of FGM and the importance of protecting the rights and well-being of the girl child.