Oborevwori’s SSA Women Mobilization, Betty, Tasks Parents Against FGM Practice

The Senior Special Assistant -SSA to Governor Oborevwori on Women Mobilization, Chief Betty Onakpoma JP, has tasked parents in Delta State to eschew their daughters from the deadly female genitalia mutilation, whether for cultural or any other non-therapeutic reasons, stressing that it violates a person’s rights to health, security, and physical integrity; the right to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment; and the right to life, in instances when the procedure results in death.

Betty made the call on February Tuesday 6, 2024 in commemoration of International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, and was made available by her Media Aide, Gloria Ephivweotor.

She said in 2012, the United Nations General Assembly designated February 6th as the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), to amplify and direct the efforts on the elimination of this practice.

“As part of affirmative actions of the Delta State Government led by Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, to amplify and direct the efforts on the elimination of this practice, the need for families and communities to imbibe the awareness aimed at ending FGM can not be overstated”, she averred.

She emphasized further, “Some families and communities believe that FGM will benefit the girl in some way, such as preparing them for marriage or childbirth. The practice is fraught with controversy either as an initiation ceremony of young girls into womanhood to ensure virginity and curb promiscuity, or to protect female modesty and chastity”.

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While acknowledging the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act (VAPP) domesticated in Delta State, she said by the provisions of the VAPP Act, it is now an offense against the state for parents to subject their girl child to circumcision or female genital mutilation.

She bemoaned parents’ opinions giving rise to FGM practices against their daughters’ fundamental human rights, urging them to step up as key players in combating Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) and not sustaining superstitious beliefs associated with FGM.

“It is generally assumed that individual attitudes of parents and other family members have an impact on decisions related to the cutting of girls and that such attitudes are influenced by social norms”, she hinted.

While the government is ready to punish offenders, parents were urged to desist from engaging in such deteriorating acts and shouldn’t force their daughters into circumcision because most circumcisions are carried out at a tender age depriving their consent.