Female Genital Mutilation
As Nigeria joined the global community to mark the United Nations International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) on Monday, medical experts urged parents to stop cutting their daughters’ clitorises, warning that the practice causes trauma and other health problems. They also called on the federal government to enforce laws banning FGM in all cultures across Nigeria to end the practice nationwide.
In exclusive interviews with HealthWise, experts described FGM as an unacceptable, harmful practice that violates the basic human rights of women and girls. The theme for the 2023 commemoration is “Partnership with Men and Boys to Transform Social and Gender Norms to End Female Genital Mutilation.” Marked globally on February 6, the day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It provides an opportunity for governments, civil‑society organisations, development partners, activists and other stakeholders to raise awareness, renew commitments and advocate for the abandonment of the practice.
Prof. Oladapo Ladipo, a renowned obstetrician‑gynecologist and President/CEO of the Association for Reproductive and Family Health, told our correspondent that cutting the clitoris should be discouraged by parents. “There is no reason for tampering with the external genitalia of a female child, such as cutting or squeezing the clitoris,” he said. “The clitoris has no negative effects on childbirth, and contact with a baby’s head does not harm the child, as far as science knows.” He added that female circumcision confers no known benefit, can be traumatic, and may lead to fatal complications. Consequently, he argued, it should be banned in every culture.
Prof. Ladipo also warned that FGM is unhealthy and violates women’s rights, urging federal and state governments to protect women and girls from all forms of violence and abuse by enforcing existing anti‑FGM laws. FGM involves the partial or total removal of external female genitalia—or other injury to the genital organs—for non‑medical reasons and is globally recognised as a severe violation of women’s and girls’ rights. In 2015, Nigeria’s Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act prohibited FGM and established punishments for perpetrators.
Despite the law, UNICEF reports that FGM remains widespread in Nigeria, with an estimated 19.9 million survivors, making the country the third‑largest in the world for the number of women and girls who have undergone the practice. UN Women notes that FGM affects 200 million women globally, leading to debilitating pain, childbirth complications and even death. The agency reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that laws against FGM are not only passed but also implemented.
General medical practitioner Dr. Tunji Akintade called on all levels of government to enforce laws protecting the rights and dignity of women and girls. He condemned the emerging “medicalisation of FGM,” urging the public to report any medical practitioner involved in the practice to the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria for disciplinary action. “Medicalising FGM does not eliminate the danger it poses to women, as it still removes and damages healthy tissue and interferes with the natural functions of a girl’s body,” he said.
The World Health Organization confirms that FGM offers no health benefits and harms girls and women in numerous ways. It causes multiple sexual health problems, including damage to anatomical structures essential for sexual function, thereby affecting survivors’ sexual health and overall well‑being.
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