Osun: Value Female Network vows to eradicate  Female Genital Mutilation

By Ismail Azeez, Osogbo

The executive director of the Value Orientation For Community and Enhancement, Ademola Adebisi has charged men to amplify their voice to end Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in the society.

Adebisi gave the charge in Osogbo on Tuesday at a day Community Dialogue in Commemoration of International Day of Zero Tolerance organised by VALUE FEMALE NETWORK with the theme tagged “Partnering with Men and Boys to Transform Social Norms to End Female Genital Mutilation (#MenEndFGM).”

He said that they brought men into the mainstream of ending FGM to eradicate the practice in the society.

He enjoined the general public to join hands together to end the FGM practice in the State.

According to him, “Most of our message this year has been that more involvement of men and boys in decision making to end FGM and also to sensitise women as well, because most of this message we have had a lot of women talking to themselves to stop FGM but their husband, their brothers, their uncles, their boys, they have not seen anything. When it comes to ending FGM, they thought  it is a normal thing that every woman should go through.”

Speaking, one of the team leaders of the Value Female Network, Mr Seun Salami said that the group partnered with men and boys as major stakeholders in social norms and gender to ensure that there is an end to FGM in 2030.

He charged the participants to spread the message in their communities that FGM is harmful traditional practices which he said they have to put to end.

He said, “The complications that rise as a result of having FGM are bleeding infection, low sexual drive, we even have low self esteem and these are psychosocial effects of FGM.

“By law in Osun state, it is now prohibited. Osun State government has domesticated that anybody who is found doing this practice again will be behind bars,” he said.