UN seeks end to genital mutilation in Nigeria

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UN seeks end to genital mutilation in Nigeria

Country Representative of the United Nations Population Fund in Nigeria, Ulla Mueller, has called for an end to Female Genital Mutilation, saying the practice is a violation of human rights.

Mueller told the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Sunday that the act was being practised in many communities, especially the South-East, South-South and South-West regions.

FGM refers to procedures involving partial or total removal of the female external genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.

Some reports have estimated that about 200 million girls and women globally have undergone some form of female genital mutilation.

UNFPA estimates that 68 million girls globally are at the risk of being mutilated between 2015 and 2030.

The practice of FGM, according to critics, is embedded in ignorance and misrepresentation of culture.

Mueller added that such a harmful practice could stifle women’s potential to live life to the fullest.

“FGM is a violation of girls and women’s human right to choices; it can affect the vision and dreams for greater future,”she stated.