The Commissioner for Health in Oyo State, Dr. Bode Ladipo has advised residents of the state and Nigerians to henceforth, desist from Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
As the Executive Director of HACEY, Ms. Rhoda Robinson called on relevant stakeholders such as the legislature, parents, and religious organizations to be more involved to combat violence against women including female genital mutilation in the country.
Ladipo stated this while addressing journalists on Thursday in Ibadan, the state capital during a program christened “The stop cut project” organized by HACEY Health and Spotlight Initiatives, as part of activities to mark this year’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
The event had representatives of security agencies, United Nations (UN) agencies, European Union (EU), ministries, government organizations, and the media in attendance.
Ladipo explained that female genital mutilation is one of the traditional practices that are harmful to female folk.
Female genital mutilation is the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injuries to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. It was gathered that over 20 million women and girls in Nigeria have been subjected to this harmful traditional practice.
It was gathered that Oyo state is the second state where the incidents of female genital mutilation are rampant after Lagos state.
The state Commissioner for Health, Bode Ladipo, while speaking on Thursday, advised residents of the state to henceforth desist from such harmful practices. Ladipo noted that the effects of psychological trauma arising from genital mutilation among women cannot be quantified.
The commissioner who added that the state government has put measures in place to reduce the prevalence of female genital mutilation in the state insisted that decisive steps have been taken to get the perpetrators arrested.
According to Ladipo, “Female genital mutilation is harmful. We understand that Oyo state has the highest rate after Lagos state.
“It is one of the harmful traditional practices. The effect of FGM on women cannot be quantified. That is why we are saying that parents should not do it again.
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