Nigeria has been identified as one of the countries that contribute about one-third of global Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) cases.
Mr. Dirug Samuel, the Founder of Big Family 360 and winner of the UNFPA FGM Hacklab Award, said this in Abuja.
NAN reports that FGM is a practice, traditional in some cultures, of partially or totally removing the external
genitalia of girls and young women for non-medical reasons. It is illegal in many countries.
Samuel, who described FGM as one of the greatest causes of infection to women, said that it had no capacity to
prevent promiscuity.
He explained that “promiscuity is about the personality and not FGM; FGM does not prevent promiscuity, instead,
it causes infections.”
The award winner urged Nigerians to collectively work toward ending the practice, noted that it was injurious
to the wellbeing of women.
He said FGM was a negation of bodily autonomy for the girl and human rights.
The award winner, however, expressed joy over the gradual denouncement of the menace, stressing that it was
achieved through concerted government efforts and that of Non-Government actors, especially the UN Population Fund (UNFPA).
According to him, progress is being made gradually in ending FGM even with some challenges.
The Pharaohs of Northern Nigeria by Charles Dickson
He expressed optimism that the menace would be a thing of the past in the country with more advocacy and awareness.
Samuel is the only Nigerian winner of a recent FGM Innovation Hacklab co-sponsored by UNFPA through the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation and the Spotlight Initiative Africa Regional Program (SIARP) in September 2021.
He worked with the Gender-Based Violence (GBV) sub-sector under the humanitarian program, where he developed a monitoring tool to support referrals for GBV survivors. (NAN)
