By Rotimi Olaleye
Ekiti State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Peju Babafemi on Wednesday described female genital mutilation (FGM) as deadly as rape, noting that sustainable mechanisms should be devised to end the menace in Ekiti.
She said this in Ado-Ekiti at a 3-day training for Judges, Magistrates, Presidents and Prosecutors tagged “Roundtable discussion on Female Genital Mutilation(FGM)”
The training which was facilitated by a civil society organization, the New Generation Girls and Women Development Initiative (NIGAWD) with support from United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), engaged stakeholders such as Judges, Magistrates and Prosecutors in order to curtail and eradicate female genital mutilation, FGM in Ekiti State.
Babafemi reiterated the commitment of the state Government towards the protection of girl child rights, she urged other stakeholders to embrace partnership to curb the prevalence of FGM in the state.
“It’s germane to eliminate this harmful practice. I want to appreciate the organisations for pushing this forward. There are harmful effects of FGM, a lot of women are broken, it’s very saddened.
“FGM is as evil as rape, we should react better in terms of our response mechanism. We will continue to work with you so they we can have a state free of this menace.”
The Ekiti State acting Chief Judge, Hon Justice Lekan Ogunmoye said the round table discussion is a right step in the right direction to addressing FGM in making sure that perpetrators of such harmful activity are brought to book.
Ogunmoye, represented by Hon Justice Blessing Ajileye added that the Ekiti state Judiciary will continue to uphold the legal frameworks to secure the rights of the girl child in the state.
Speaking with journalists, the Convener of NIGAWD, Abimbola Aladejare-Salako said the purpose of the discussion was to engage critical stakeholders in order to achieve zero tolerance to end FGM in the state.
“We are conducting a three-day training for judges on ending female genital mutilation in Ekiti state.
“FGM in Ekiti state is still at its peak and we realised that for us to be able to bring down the prevalence and actually achieve zero tolerance to end FGM in Ekiti state, we need to also engage our judges so that we can begin to make use of the law and ensure that our girls in Ekiti state are protected.
“Ekiti state has laws dated back 2002 but as at today, it has the highest prevalence of FGM in southwest and second in Nigeria and we have not heard a case of FGM charged to court. Research has shown that FGM is nothing but a myth, harmful practices in the name of culture.
“We can’t be popular for a wrong reason, we have led declaration in more than 50 communities. We have collaborated with traditional rulers so that we declare FGM a taboo but somehow, it still persist”. She added.
On implementation of Maputo protocol, the Gender Officer, Office of the Wife of Ekiti Governor, Shelly Atane said it focuses on addressing violence against women such as gender-based violence, discrimination, social, economic and political inequalities.
She stressed that the purpose of the protocol is to ensure that the state take legislative, administrative, and other measures to ensure gender equality and protect women’s rights.