By Abdukareem Idris
Professor Olofinbiyi Ajayi, Consultant, Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti, on Saturday raised the alarm that some health workers are contributing to the rising cases of Female Genital Mutilation, FGM in Nigeria.
Ajayi stated this in Ado-Ekiti at an event organized by a non-governmental organization, The New Generation Girls and Women Development Initiative, NIGAWD, in collaboration with Ekiti State Ministries of Health, Education and Women Affairs.
The programme was designed to raise awareness and commemorate Zero Tolerance Day To FGM 2024.
According to Ajayi, doctors are still discovering new cases of FGM in Ekiti State in spite of the ongoing efforts to end it.
The medical expert also decried the situation where some health workers often hijacked FGM and making it appears less harmful under the guise of Harm Reduction Strategy.
His words: “Let me tell you this, in 2016 a research was carried out on 200 babies and to our utter disgust, 60 were cut and we later discovered the perpetrators were mostly health workers. Even the so-called traditionalists don’t do as much as this. We have a lot of work to do in Ekiti and we have to dig deep into the providers and sensitize them on the dangers inherent in the outlawed practice.
“The training is very apt, because nobody can be an island of knowledge. The weapon of Medicalisation, no doubt, makes the practice of FGM to thrive in our society.
“Nobody can be an island of knowledge. Weapons of medicalization makes FGM to shrive. Some of us have hijacked FGM and making it less harmful under the guise of harm reduction strategy. You are infringing on the fundamental human rights of the innocent girls. Many gaps to cover in Ekiti.”
The medical consultant said early diagnosis, also revealed that most women in Labour have one variance of FGM or the other while charging the participants to seek knowledge to enable them better respond to the needs of survivors in Ekiti state and Nigeria.
The Executive Director of NIGAWD, Abimbola Aladejare-Salako in her remarks described FGM as a harmful and outlawed culture practice which has no benefit, whatsoever to the girl child and must be abandoned.
She disclosed that NIGAWD had led a far reaching campaign against FGM across the length and breath of Nigeria and Africa by taking the advocacies to schools, market places, palaces, communities, as well as religion institutions.
The NIGAWD boss therefore enlisted the support and cooperation of the trained medical doctors and health workers in achieving a zero tolerance for the FGM in the state, she used the ocassion to highlight some existing legal frameworks on FGM in Ekiti.
She said: “Ekiti has the highest FGM prevalence rate in the Southwest and second in Nigeria with 57.9% according to NDHS 2018 and 50.1% according to MICS 2021 reports, therefore the support of the doctors and nurses are needed to stop this harmful practices.”
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs, Mrs. Olatilu in her goodwill message lauded the synergy between the government and non government structures and interventions in the #ZeroTolerance to FGM.
Other Facilitators included Dr Ibrahim, Director of Public Health, Ekiti state Ministry of Health, Mrs Akinleye, Director, Ministry of Women Affairs.
Meanwhile, Medical and Health Practitioners were supported with skills to provide non-surgical remedies for survivors of FGM in the state.
The training of doctors who specialize is caring for women’s health was facilitated by Doctor Amr and Doctor Reham of RestoreFGM Egypt.
Some participants, who gave commitment to be fully involved in the advocacy also recommended stiffer sanctions for violators of the FGM laws in Ekiti.
They also promised to explore all available opportunities to campaign and advocate the establishment of survivors group where issues on FGM can be discussed and where they can easily get assistance. They equally called for regular training and retraining of medical personnel.
