The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has appealed to parents and community leaders to desist from Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) practices.
The call was made by Ms Ulla Mueller, Nigeria Country Representative, UNFPA, during a sensitisation walk against FGM and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) at Ashogbon community in the Bariga area of Lagos.
The programme was organised by the UNFPA in collaboration with Action Health Incorporated (AHI), an NGO dedicated to promoting young people’s health and development.
FGM is a traditional harmful practice that involves the partial or total removal of external female genitalia or other injury to female genital organs for non-medical reasons.
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Ms Mueller said FGM is one of the forms of GBV deeply rooted in traditional understandings of purity and chastity but causes irreparable pain and health problems to women and girls.
She noted that United Nations data estimates that over 200 million girls and women have undergone FGM globally.
According to her, FGM remains widespread in Nigeria with an estimated 20 million survivors, and Nigeria accounts for the third-highest number of women and girls who have undergone FGM worldwide.
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