By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan
Executive Director, Hacey Health Initiative, Ms. Ronald Robinson on Tuesday, disclosed that over 400 Community leaders in the South Western part of Nigeria are now fully in support of the ongoing fight
against Female Genital Mutilation.(FGM) practice in the country.
Speaking through the Programme Officer, Mr Emmanuel Oni at a sensitization workshop themed ” Learning and Experience Sharing Workshop” held at Koltoltel , Ikolaba area of Ibadan, Ms Robinson gave names of the three states as Oyo, Ekiti and Osun state
She maintained that the support by the community leaders followed various sensitization and campaigns against the practice of FGM by Hacey Initiative and its partners across the affected states
According to her, in Oyo state alone, over 100 Community leaders in the state have signified their readiness to support the crusade against FGM practice with some of them banning the practice in their various communities.
Emphasizing that all hands must be be on the deck towards ensuring total eradication of Female Genital Mutilation in and across the country considering its negative effects on the females, Ms Robinson solicited the cooperation of participants at the workshop in ridden the country of FGM practice
The Oyo state Reproductive Officer, Mrs Balqees Olawoyin while speaking at the workshop said Oyo state government is committed to the prosecution of persons perpetrating FGM, saying, many success stories are not being recorded on FGM because violators are allowed to go as it is being handled as a family matter in most cases.
Mrs Olawoyin declared that Oyo state government will not relent in ensuring that violators are brought to book, including conspirators within family members.
Some of the participants at the sensitization workshop identified traditional leaders as the best to handle all forms of violation against the girl child and women, while others identified cultural practices within communities are kept hidden from government hence perpetrators may escape punishments due to the culture of silence.
