Some child rights advocates and members of the Child Protection Network Nigeria, Oyo state chapter, have urged stakeholders and governments to ensure an end to female genital mutilation in Nigeria.

They made the call in separate interviews in Ibadan on Thursday. The interviews were against the backdrop of the observance of the International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM.

The CPN coordinator, Rosemary Odigbo, said FGM remains a severe violation of human rights, affecting over 230 million girls and women worldwide.

She noted that in 2025 alone, nearly 4.4 million girls are projected to be at risk.

“CPN advises the government to enforce existing anti-FGM laws and prosecute offenders; stakeholders should strengthen advocacy, sensitisation, and community engagements to raise awareness.

“Traditional and religious leaders must reject harmful cultural norms, while families should protect their children by abandoning FGM practices.

“Collective action and sustained education are key to ending FGM,” Ms Odigbo said.

An advocate against FGM, Dare Olagoke-Adaramoye, emphasised that women whose genitals were mutilated faced higher maternal and neonatal mortality rates.

“FGM increases the risk of prolonged labour, stillbirths, and postpartum haemorrhage, endangering both mother and baby. Many survivors suffer from painful urination, recurrent infections, menstrual difficulties, and many other negative effects,” he said.

Mr Olagoke-Adaramoye urged governments to enforce strict penalties for perpetrators and strengthen child protection laws.

He underscored the need for medical care, counselling, and rehabilitation programmes to help survivors heal and reintegrate.

The executive director of the HOSEC Foundation, Ibukunoluwa Otesile, also urged parents, guardians, and communities to take a stand to protect girls against FGM.

“Ending FGM requires collective action; CPN remains committed to working with stakeholders to enforce policies and drive community-led efforts toward its eradication,” Ms Otesile said.

Similarly, Airat Ogungbenro, project coordinator of the Federation of Muslim Women Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN) in Oyo, said FGM remains a harmful practice that must end.

Ms Ogungbenro added that FGM included all procedures involving partial or total removal of external female genitalia or any other injury to female genital organs for non-medical reasons.

“It has no health benefits but causes severe harm to girls and women, leading to complications; we must unite to advocate complete abandonment of this harmful practice,” she said. 

(NAN)