Governor Hope Uzodimma has said that laws prohibiting the practice of female genital mutilation are not enough to stop the practice in the country.

The governor stated this at a workshop on Thursday to mark the 2025 International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM, organised by the United Nations Children’s Fund in Owerri.

Mr Uzodimma regretted that Imo was the state with the highest prevalence of FGM in the South-East.

He, therefore, called for immediate domestication of the campaign against FGM by town union leaders, other grassroots leaders and parents to take ownership of the campaign and rise in unison against FGM.

Also speaking, the governor’s wife, Chioma Uzodinma, described the girl child education as a potent weapon that could enable the female folk to become agents of change.

The governor‘s wife called for mentorship programmes to address FGM’s immediate and long-term consequences, adding that Imo had determined to face the challenge and lead by example.

She thanked UNICEF and the United Nations Population Fund for their willing, healthy partnerships while calling for more holistic engagements around FGM.

The UNICEF’s head of Enugu Field Office had on Wednesday identified Imo as the highest prevalence of FGM in the South-East and called for efforts to change the narrative.

(NAN)