The Wellspring Outreach and Support Foundation, Nigeria, has raised concern over the continued practice of female genital mutilation in parts of the country despite laws against the harmful practice.

The organisation said that the harmful practice remains widespread despite existing laws prohibiting it.

A director of the foundation, Adelayo Ojo-Nkom, made this known in Ibadan while speaking on the organisation’s month-long social media advocacy against FGM.

Mrs Ojo-Nkom described FGM as a deeply harmful practice that still persists in many communities, including in Oyo.

According to her, FGM has several forms, all of which remain dangerous to the health and wellbeing of the girl child.

She said some forms involved partial or total removal of the clitoris, while others included severe mutilation and even stitching of the vaginal opening.

MrsOjo-Nkom said that beyond the immediate physical risks, survivors of FGM often suffered lifelong trauma, painful childbirth, sexual dysfunction and psychological disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder.

She equally said that many women subjected to FGM also experienced pain during sexual intercourse and were denied the fullness of marital intimacy. According to her, the practice often turns what should be a joyful beginning of marriage into a traumatic experience for many women.

Mrs Ojo-Nkom blamed the persistence of FGM on deeply entrenched cultural beliefs, misinformation and the role of older women as custodians of the practice.

Mrs Ojo-Nkom said such beliefs were false and had no medical or moral basis, stressing that promiscuity and moral decline in society could not be linked to whether or not FGM was performed.

She said the foundation’s advocacy had revealed that even some young women still supported the practice because they had been socialised to see it as normal.

According to her, this shows that the country still has a long way to go in changing attitudes and social norms around FGM.

She called on parents, traditional leaders, women groups and community influencers to speak out and reject the practice.

Mrs Ojo-Nkom also reminded the public that FGM is a criminal offence under the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act, 2015, noting that anyone who performs, aids or abets the act risks fines or imprisonment.

(NAN)