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The United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has urged stakeholders across Nigeria to intensify efforts to end female genital mutilation (FGM), stressing the vital role of men in supporting the campaign against the harmful practice.

Speaking at the opening of a two-day media dialogue in Benin City, Edo State, organised in collaboration with the Oyo State Ministry of Information and Orientation, the Chief of UNICEF Lagos Field Office, Celine Lafoucriere, emphasised the urgency of eliminating FGM.

She said, “Female genital mutilation is never a choice. It is a violation that is inflicted on women and girls. Most of them were cut before their fifth birthday, at that age when they were completely powerless, when they couldn’t consent, resist or even understand what was happening to them.”

Lafoucriere condemned the persistence of the practice despite its prohibition in Nigeria, adding, “Despite being outlawed in Nigeria, this harmful practice continues in many communities. It continues, fuelled by myths, fuelled by tradition. But those myths and traditions must be recognised as harmful myths and traditions.”

She maintained that cultural justifications cannot override the rights and wellbeing of women and girls, stressing, “No culture or custom should ever come at the expense of girls’ health, rights or their future. The good news is that change is possible, and change is happening through collaboration and initiatives like the ‘Movement for Good’, which is led by the Federal Government of Nigeria in collaboration with UNICEF.

Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary of the Oyo State Ministry of Information and Orientation, Mr. Rotimi Babalola, reiterated the state’s commitment to ending FGM through awareness campaigns and stakeholder engagement. He said, “I want to say that the last three weeks have been FGM events. Two weeks ago, we were in Lagos for about three or four days discussing issues on FGM. Last week, I was with a CSO in Oyo City, we were also together. And today we are here, making it the third week. This is a pointer to something that we see in this issue amongst us.”

Babalola added, “We still have a lot of work to do, and I want to believe that this led to this meeting. Two weeks ago, it was about the judiciary, it was about our security agencies, it was about our CSOs. Today, it’s about the critical stakeholders here, the media. Because we are the people who set the agenda for society to follow. So we are very, very critical concerning this FGM elimination campaign.”

According to UNICEF, its community-led initiative, the Movement for Good, is targeting five high-prevalence states—Ebonyi, Ekiti, Imo, Osun, and Oyo. The project aims to reach five million Nigerians, including adolescents, women, men, community leaders, religious figures, legislators, and justice sector actors, encouraging them to pledge to “say no” to FGM.

The initiative will further mobilise households to take concrete actions to safeguard girls at risk, challenge discriminatory beliefs fueling the practice, and break the culture of silence surrounding it.

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