FGM has no health benefits, violates human rights — Ekiti commissioner

The Ekiti State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to eradicating Female Genital Mutilation and other forms of gender-based violence in the state.

The Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Oyebanji Filani, described FGM as a harmful practice with no health benefits, as he questioned why mothers still subject their daughters to the practice despite its harmful consequences.

Filani, represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mrs Olusola Gbenga-Igotun, spoke in Ado Ekiti on Saturday during a two-day training for health educators and assistant health educators in Ekiti State.

The training was organised by the United Nations Population Fund in collaboration with the Ekiti State Ministry of Health to strengthen advocacy for the abandonment of the practice in the state.

The commissioner said warned perpetrators of FGM to desist, stressing that “the government will prosecute anyone found culpable.

“FGM often results in immediate and long-term complications, including severe pain, shock and excessive bleeding”, he said, adding that “victims were also exposed to infections such as HIV, hepatitis and other blood-borne diseases.

“FGM has no health benefits. It is internationally recognised as a violation of human rights because of its harmful effects,” he said.

Filani urged participants to take the campaign against FGM to their offices and communities and sensitise residents on the need to end the practice.

UNFPA Representative, Mrs Agnes Oyeniran, said FGM could cause psychological trauma, anxiety and depression, and added that the practice also increased the risk of prolonged labour, perineal tears, postpartum haemorrhage, emergency Caesarean sections and infertility caused by infections that damage reproductive organs and block the fallopian tubes.

Oyeniran called on health educators and other stakeholders to intensify campaigns against the practice in churches, mosques, community meetings and other social gatherings.

The State Gender Officer, Dupe Amodu, who said the World Health Organisation and other global health bodies classified FGM as a violation of human rights and a major public health concern, expressed worries that the practice had continued to cause severe immediate and lifelong complications, psychological trauma, sexual dysfunction and infertility.

Amodu said that excessive bleeding from FGM could lead to anaemia and complications during labour and childbirth, which she noted may contribute to maternal and infant mortality.

Speaking on behalf of the participants, Mr Dapo Olatunbosun, commended the organisers and pledged to support efforts aimed at ensuring the anti-FGM message was widely disseminated across the state.