The Ekiti State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to eradicating Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and other forms of gender-based violence in the state.
The Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Oyebanji Filani, stated this at a two-day training for health educators and assistant health educators in Ekiti State.
The training was organised by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in collaboration with the Ekiti State Ministry of Health to strengthen advocacy for the abandonment of FGM in the state.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mrs Olusola Gbenga-Igotun, Filani described FGM as a harmful practice with no health benefits.
He questioned why mothers still subject their daughters to the practice despite its harmful consequences.
According to him, FGM often results in immediate and long-term complications, including severe pain, shock and excessive bleeding.
The commissioner added that victims were also exposed to infections such as HIV, hepatitis and other blood-borne diseases.
“Female genital mutilation has no health benefits. It is internationally recognised as a violation of human rights because of its harmful effects,” he said.
Filani urged participants to take the campaign against FGM to their offices and communities and sensitise residents on the need to end the practice.
He also warned perpetrators to desist, stressing that the government would prosecute anyone found culpable.
In her remarks, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Gender and Female Genital Mutilation Analyst, Uzoma Ayodeji noted that the organisation is not only training health workers in the state but also activating a frontline defense for girls.
” Every clinic, every maternity ward, every counseling room becomes a point of protection when health workers say ‘no more’ to FGM. With the right knowledge and skills, they are the first to see the harm, the first to speak against it, and the first to offer care and hope to survivors”. Mrs Ayodeji stated.
Mrs Ayodeji explained that FGM was not a cultural secret to be kept but a medical harm to be ended noting that it could only end when those sworn to heal choose to lead.
Also speaking, the representative of Comprehensive Centre for Promoting Reproductive Health (CCPRH), Mrs Agnes Oyeniran said FGM could cause psychological trauma, anxiety and depression.
Oyeniran explained that the practice also increased the risk of prolonged labour, perineal tears, postpartum haemorrhage, emergency Caesarean sections and infertility caused by infections that damage reproductive organs and block the fallopian tubes.
She called on health educators and other stakeholders to intensify campaigns against FGM in churches, mosques, community meetings and other social gatherings.
Also in her contribution, the State Gender Officer, Dupe Amodu said the World Health Organization and other global health bodies classified FGM as a violation of human rights and a major public health concern.
Amodu noted that the practice continues to cause severe immediate and lifelong complications, psychological trauma, sexual dysfunction and infertility.
She added that excessive bleeding from FGM could lead to anaemia and complications during labour and childbirth which sje noted may contribute to maternal and infant mortality.
Speaking on behalf of the participants, Mr Dapo Olatunbosun commended the organisers and pledged to support efforts aimed at ensuring the anti-FGM message was widely disseminated across the state.
