The Ganaganas Foundation Commemorates Int’l Day Of Zero Tolerance For Female Genital Mutilation

In commemoration of the 2024 International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation-FGM, the Civil Society Group, The Ganaganas Foundation, has joined the United Nations to amplify and direct the efforts on the elimination of female genital mutilation – FGM.

The Foundation in a press statement made available by its media team on February 6, tasked parents 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.

It says the United Nations General Assembly in 2012 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 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”.

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Going 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”.

While acknowledging the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act (VAPP) domesticated in most Nigerian States, noted that by the provisions of the VAPP Act, it is now an offense against parents to subject their girl child to circumcision or female genital mutilation.

Bemoaning parents’ opinions giving rise to FGM practices against their daughters’ fundamental human rights, the Foundation urged 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”.

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.