NGO Preaches Against Female Genital Mutilation

The campaign against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is now being taken to another level with a sensitisation workshop held at Big Qua Shopping Mall, Calabar, the Cross River State capital.
Our correspondent reports that the workshop with the theme, “Female Genital Mutilation and the role of the Media” was organised by a Non-Governmental Organisation, SafeHaven Development Initiative (SDI) to highlight the inherent dangers associated with female circumcision.
Speaking at the occasion, the lead facilitator and coordinator of the ‘SafeHaven Development Initiative’, Dr. Antor Ndep, explained that female genital mutilation constitutes a violation of the girl-child’s right to live and love without pain adding that the practice which is obnoxious has no direct benefits to the girl-child, rather it leaves her with a very unpleasant memory all her life.
She explained that she is a victim of such dirty practice, having survived the pain of the practice even though, according to her, her younger sister was not as lucky, as she died of pains and bleeding associated with Female Genital Mutilation.
According to her, the practice of Female Genital Mutilation is common in most parts of Africa and some parts of Asia and identified four types of Female Genital Mutilation to include; clitoridectomy, excision, infibulations and other harmful practices on the female genitalia.
Dr. Antor specifically identified Clitoridectomy (Type 1) as the predominantly Female Genital Mutilation practiced in Cross River State.
She remarked that the workshop is imperative to the successful campaign against the unwholesome practices and appealed to the media to give it the widest publicity it deserves.
Participants at the occasion also decried the practices of female genital mutilation and related vices suffered by the girl-child which are also not reported by the victim and the media.
In her contribution, the State Director of Information, Ministry of Information and Orientation, Pauline Eba, remarked that, the Governor of Cross River State, Senator Ben Ayade is doing much in terms of delivering the dividends of democracy to the rural communities to help alleviate their plights.
Mrs. Eba advised that advocacy and sensitisation workshop should be intensified across the state to really educate the people on the hazards of female genital mutilation.
She promised the partnership of the ministry with the organisers of the workshop through the various news platforms of the ministry to create the necessary awareness needed either to reduce the practice or completely eradicate it.

Friday Nwagbara, Calabar