Experts in Nigeria Stress Urgent Need to End Female Genital Mutilation for Girls' Well-being

Experts in Benin City, Nigeria, stress the critical importance of protecting girls from Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) as an urgent act of genuine love and national duty. During a two-day media dialogue, experts highlighted the need to safeguard girls' health, dignity, and future by ending the harmful practice of FGM, which is often mistakenly believed to be an expression of love by families.

Denni Onois, a child protection specialist at UNICEF Lagos, cautioned that Nigeria holds the unenviable position of being the third-highest country globally in terms of FGM prevalence, trailing behind only Egypt and Bangladesh. The practice of FGM, often misunderstood as a mere cut, can lead to irreversible physical and emotional harm, with survivors facing various health complications affecting urination, marriage, pregnancy, and childbirth.

Experts debunked myths surrounding FGM, emphasizing the need for genuine cultural preservation rather than harmful practices rooted in false beliefs.