Group condemns rising cases of female genital mutilation

A Non-Governmental organization, NGO, One Voice Initiative for Women Empowerment in Africa, has expressed concern over the continued rise in female genital mutilation in the South West zone of the country despite sustained public outcry against the primitive act.

The Executive Director, One Voice Initiative, for women empowerment in Africa, Omolara Olatunbosun, who expressed the group’s concern, in a chat with newsmen in Ibadan yesterday, noted that the statistics that was recently released by the United Nations Children Education Fund, UNICEF, stated that 60 percent of girls still undergo mutilation of their genitals in Oyo State under the guise of old-fashioned practice of female circumcision, describing it as worrisome.

On the health dangers that are associated with the primitive act, she gave a chilling account of how a baby girl bled to death three days after her mother forced her to go through the unbearable pains of the act.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) faulted the claims of those who cut female genitals and claim that it is their tradition to circumcise female child to prevent her from promiscuity saying various researchers have proved it wrong and established that the girls are prone to diseases, infertility and many other adverse effects.

Olatunbosun promised that her organization would improve on public enlightenment which it had kick-started at Egbeda Local Government recently, noting that her group would extend the advocacy to rural areas where the practice is more prevalent.

She also lamented that despite repeated advocacy against it, gender preference for male children and the undesirability of female children still persists in many parts of the world including African nations.