Rights Advocate Seeks Enforcement of Laws against FGM in South-east

Gideon Arinze in Enugu

A female rights advocate, Chinyere Osuwah, has called on relevant stakeholders to join hands in ending the menace of female genital mutilation (FGM) across the South-east region.

Osuwah, who made the call in a statement made available to journalists in Enugu yesterday, described the practice as dangerous to the health of the girl-child.

The advocate called on state governments in the region as well as traditional rulers to enact and enforce laws that will protect young girls from what she described as a “harmful traditional practice.

“It is embarrassing to see that some people are still practicing this harmful tradition. What is the gain in maintaining a traditional practice that is harmful to the people?”

She noted that the practice is also a violation of the rights of young girls, as most of them are often forced into the practice against their wishes.

Osuwah, however, promised to embark on a sensitisation across communities in the Southeast where she will raise the awareness of parents on the dangers of the practice.