Precious Oham
A non-governmental organization, New Generation Girls and Women Development Initiative, NIGAWD, has trained no fewer than 50 Community Leaders, CBOs and Law Enforcement Agencies as champions in the elimination of Female Genital Mutilation, FGM, in Irepodun/Ifelodun and Ayekire local governments of Ekiti State.
The one-day training programme, organized by NIGAWD in partnership with United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA, had in attendance one hundred participants who include community leaders, CBOs, law enforcement agencies, religious leaders, Persons With Disabilities, representative of the Ministry of Health and school proprietors drawn from Irepodun/Ifelodun LGA.
Speaking with newsmen, the Founder and Executive Director of NIGAWD, Abimbola Aladejare said the programme is aimed at empowering the CBOs as champions against FGM in their local government.
She noted that the move is part of efforts to eliminate the harmful practice to zero while decrying that Ekiti State is the second highest prevalence of FGM in the country.
Aladejare urged the participants to take the message to their communities noting that they have been impacted with the requisite skills to advocate against FGM.
Her words: “The programme is aimed at empowering Community Based Organisations, CBOs, in Irepodun/Ifelodun local government of Ekiti State on the abandonment of FGM. The representatives of these CBOs are trained as champions to engage on door-to-door campaign against FGM for a period of three months.
“They will go to people’s houses, knock on their doors and talk about FGM, answer any questions they may have about FGM before we then engage the community members and bring them together after three months for a declaration of abandonments in the communities.
“We want to ensure that we bring the prevalence of FGM in Ekiti State to zero. Ekiti State is the second highest prevalence in Nigeria and that is not palatable and not something that we are proud of. That’s why we are working to ensure that the prevalence reduced drastically and that our girls can be free and safe from FGM.
“My charge to the participants is to ensure that they make use of the skills that they have been impacted with and ensure that as a result of this, they go back to their communities and do the work that they are encouraged to do so that they can contribute their own quota and posterity will speak well for all of us.”
Earlier in her opening remarks, the Gender/FGM Analyst with UNFPA, Uzoma Ayodeji said that the agency is making moves towards the elimination of FGM in the country.
She enjoined the participants to join hands with the NGO towards creating a safe space for the girl-child and serve as voices to the voiceless in the society.
“As champions, we have gathered you here to join us in the elimination of FGM in Ekiti State. Your leadership, influence and commitment will be instrumental in creating a society where our girls can grow up free from these harmful practices.
“I employ you all to give it your best in this training. Through this training, you will get a deeper understanding of FGM, its prevalence and the efforts being made to eliminate it. As champions you are advocates and voices to those that cannot speak for themselves.
“We at UNFPA are accelerating the progress. We are employing all stakeholders to join us in the fight against FGM in Nigeria, especially in Ekiti State. Let’s work together to create a society where FGM is a thing of the past in Ekiti State.”
Highlights of the training is the free distribution of reporting tools and presentations on different topics by resource persons including; “Introduction to FGM, why FGM must be Abandoned/Harmful Effects of FGM”, “Who is a Champion/Roles of Champions in Ending FGM/Counseling Support for FGM Survivors.”
Others are; “Data Collection and use of Reporting Tools”, “Laws, Policies of FGM-Ekiti VAPP Law Provisions”, “Introduction to Communication/Roles Play Feedback on Communicating FGM Effectively.”
