Umulolo Ugbele Akah community in Imo state seek end to FGM

By : Guardian Nigeria

Date: 5 June 2024 4:01am WAT

According to the 2008/2009 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS), an estimated 39.7 percent of girls and women in the larger Meru community had undergone FGM. However, the practice is widespread in areas of Tharaka Nithi. To address this, Plan has been implementing the âBuilding Skills for Girls for Lifeâ projectâ in Tharaka for the last three years with a focus on education. The aim of the project is to empower girls to make better informed decisions and reach out to boys and men to influence their attitudes and beliefs. To further step up the fight against FGM, Plan is joining efforts with the cultural elders in the Tharaka Nithi community to seek their support in changing attitudes toward FGM and other forms of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) against girls and women. The elders have strongly condemned the practice, calling for FGM studies to be included in the school syllabus to educate school children about the dangers of the practice.

Umulolo Ugbele Akah community in Njaba, Imo State, has lamented the continuous harmful practice of Female Gentile Multination (FGM).

Though interventions from the United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF) have been yeilding positive results, this menance still exists within Umulolo Ugbele Akah.

Previously, Imo State used to be the highest in FGM in the country with 19.2% of females having undergone FGM, an increase from 16.9% (2013). It dropped from 32.3% (2013) to 63% (2018), according to research, however FGM still persists.

In 2021, UNICEF in partnership with National Orientation Agency (NOA) funded a two day sensitisation programme, titled ‘Local Government Community Dialogue Forum with Community Leaders for the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation’, which was held at Umundugba, and Nnenassa headquarters of Isu and Njaba Local Government Councils.

The programme was an avenue for people and victims of FGM to pour out their grievances, pains and experiences and for community leaders of Njaba and Isu local government areas to establish methods to eliminate age long cultural practice identified as harmful to the wellbeing of their families, kindred, villages, communities and local governments.

Despite these interventions. These practices still exists in the community due to culture and tradition.