It is indeed a welcome development as over 150 autonomous communities of Imo State abandoned female circumcision.
These communities who publicly outlawed Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) are: Ngor- Okpala, Ideato North, Ikeduru, Oguta, Ehime Mbano, Owerri West and Ihitte/Uboma.
Traditional rulers, women heads, clergy and other leaders and children of these communities came together in their various areas to publicly declare total abandonment of female circumcision which they were reminded was an obnoxious cultural practice. After the abolishment of FGM, a community based surveillance team was inaugurated to implement the decision taken, as well as check defaulters and bring them to book.
The people had said that they took the decision to abolish female circumcision in order to save their girls and women from harm, untimely death, as well as elevate their families, villages and communities.
They maintained that the decision to end FGM was informed after a series of taught, advocacy and enlightenment programs organized and sponsored by development partners like the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Imo State, Ministry of Gender and Vulnerable Group, Ministry of Health, Right Protection Network, Social Media Advocates, the United Nations Children’s Education Fund, (UNICEF) and Child Protection Network.
According to them, Imo State had highest rate of female circumcision in the country between 2013 (68%) and 2018 (62%).
With Imo State prohibition law (No. 006 of 2017) banning the practice of FGM with penalty of 14 years imprisonment or #250,000 or both, the trend is changing.
UNICEF had disclosed that female circumcision has no religious, cultural, social or legal value, rather it is a “harmful practice which has no known benefit, has immediate and long term consequences, violates the right of women and young girls, does not prevent promiscuity, defiles and deforms God’s creation, every part of human being has a purpose, mutilating any part is interference in God’s creation”, regretting that the scourge had endangered communities who had seriously practised it.
Meanwhile, on 16th of April, 31 autonomous communities of Ideato North local government area had publicly declared to abandon female genital mutilation in order to save the girl child, the woman from harm and untimely death, as well as elevating their society, just as Ngor-Okpala, Ikeduru, Ehime Mbano, Oguta, Ihitte/Uboma, Owerri West local government areas had previously done so.
The people took the necessary step through their traditional rulers, women heads and other leaders having been well taught and enlightened by the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and the United Nations Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF) and other partners on the dangers of female circumcision. The public declaration of abandonment of FGM followed the training and setting up of community based surveillance team which is made up of women selected from the 31 communities of Ideato North on Tuesday held at Uruala, the headquarters of Ideato North local government council of Imo State.
However, the community based surveillance team was admonished to live up to the expectation of checking regularly pregnant women and girls and reporting to the traditional rulers of the sex of babies delivered.
The State Director, National Orientation Agency, Imo State, Vitus Ekeocha, explained that “we are here today as part of the process of implementing the abandonment of FGM in 31 communities of Ideato North just as we did in communities of Ngor- Okpala, Ikeduru, Oguta, Ehime Mbano, Ihitte/Uboma and Owerri West local government areas”.
Ekeocha reiterated that “when a community declares public abandonment it is not the end of FGM. We follow it up by setting up community based surveillance team made up of women leaders from those communities whom we have trained on what to do in carrying out surveillance. They go to the pregnant women and remind them that FGM is abolished and that there is no cutting, pressing or mutilation of the girl child”.
The Desk Officer of UNICEF, Stella Ukaegbu stressed that the trained community based surveillance team would be equipped with register (note books) which they will use to compile results on monthly basis and make them available to the traditional rulers in order to bring defaulters to book, saying the surveillance team will also train the women in the villages to enlighten them more on the dangers and rejection of female circumcision practice.
The surveillance team through Joy Ndubuisi, Ifeoma Emechebe and Ndudo Vivian Chinasa, promised to do the needful to eradicate female circumcision in their families, villages and communities to save lives of girls and women.
Earlier, the development partners had sensitized the people of Ngor- Okpala, Ihitte/Uboma, Oguta, Ikeduru, Ehime Mbano, Owerri West and Ideato North on the dangers of female genital mutilation and why they should outlaw it. “Is a cultural practice with devastating medical, social, emotional, legal and economic repercussions for girls and women. FGM is illegal and endangers future of girls and women. Therefore, FGM must be abandoned since the negative health problems outweigh all other considerations”, regretting that women go through pains as they are mutilated. “FGM is performed with scissors, razors, knives. Some apply petroleum jelly, menthol ointments or hot water to the clitoris to make it numb or try to push it back into the body (cutting, massaging or pressing)”.
They pointed out that female circumcision which is an ancient obnoxious cultural practice denies the girl child and the woman their dignity, causes harm to them, deprives them joy in their matrimonial homes, as well as dampens families, village’s or community’s peace and forwardness.
The communities were reminded that a lot of females had died untimely due to excess bleeding caused by the vagina mutilation, especially that some are having fistula problems, some go through pains during child delivery, some do not enjoy sex with their husbands due to pains, while some had been disengaged by their husbands and incurred a lot of waste of resources for their families, villages and communities.
They further educated the people that female vagina circumcision is not biblical, saying the Bible condemns the obnoxious practice of female circumcision, citing Genesis Chapter 17: 10 vs 14. “This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; everyman child among you shall be circumcised.. And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people, he hath broken my covenant. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised”, (Romans 4: 11).
Reiterating that female circumcision does not encourage nor stop promiscuity among girls and women. The development partners maintained that FGM is not a religious injunction which Christian faith does not sanction, reminding the people of Imo State to continue to reject female circumcision by keeping close vigilance to pregnant women and girls.
The people did not hide their feelings as they appreciated UNICEF, UNFPA, National Orientation Agency, Imo State, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Gender and Vulnerable Groups, Child Protection Network and Social Media Advocates for their relentless efforts and resources to seeing that female circumcision is abandoned in their families, villages and communities.
Speaking on behalf of His Royal Highness, Eze Jude Uwalaka, who is the Chairman of Ihitte/ Uboma Council of Traditional Rulers, Pastor Uche Ogbuji (of Jesus Divine Grace Mission) and Kingsley Sylvester (of God’s Sufficient Grace Ministry), they said that the people have vowed to keep to the dictates of the state prohibition law that abolished female circumcision in the state with violators facing sanctions to deter others from going against the law.
“The United Nations International Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF), the National Orientation Agency, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Gender and Vulnerable Groups and other relevant bodies deserve our accolades for working for the good of humanity especially the vulnerable and the oppressed. May God continue to strengthen them as they work to elevate the society.”
