Mr. Heart Okwa of the Ohaisu community in Afikpo North, Ebonyi State, is one such advocate, championing efforts to eradicate FGM by 2023. As the President General of his community, he is optimistic that if other affected areas follow in Afikpo’s footsteps, the fight against FGM can be won
In recent years, Afikpo has made great strides in ending FGM, with successful sensitization campaigns and monitoring efforts, Ijeoma Onuoha-Ogwe, Communication Officer, United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Nigeria, reported.
The heart has teamed up with UNICEF and the government to engage in community dialogues and advocacy efforts, Onuoha-Ogwe wrote. Despite slow progress, he is seeing a change in attitudes towards the harmful practice, which has devastating impacts on girls and women who are subjected to it. With the support of organizations like UNICEF and the National Orientation Agency, Heart is proud to say that his community now has a zero-tolerance policy towards FGM.
Mr. Heart Okwa’s efforts to end the practice of female genital mutilation have yielded results in his community in Ebonyi State, the UNICEF Communication Officer reported.
According to the 2021 Multiple Indicator Survey, the national prevalence rate of FGM in Nigeria is 15%. Despite being declared illegal in the Ebonyi State Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law of 2018, communities like Afikpo, Izzi, Ohaukwu, and Ebonyi still bear the brunt of this violation.
However, sustained efforts from the government, UNICEF, NGOs, and other development partners have resulted in a downward trend from 43.2 per cent to 20.4 per cent among women aged 15–49 years.
On this 2023 International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, the Chief of UNICEF Field Office, Enugu, Mrs Juliet Chiluwe, called on the global community to partner with men and boys, integrate gender-transformative approaches, and invest in national policies and legislation to protect the rights of girls and women and end FGM.
The fight against FGM requires sustained efforts and a concerted effort from all stakeholders to bring an end to this harmful practice that continues to violate the rights of thousands of girls and women across Nigeria and its surroundings.
