Female genital mutilation secretly thriving in Osun- Group
A group, HACEY Health Initiative, has called on community and religious leaders in Osun State to report anyone engaging in female genital mutilation to the security agents, warning that the practice still thrives under a culture of silence.
A representative of HACEY Health Initiative, Oluwatomi Olunuga, while speaking at a stakeholders forum for the dissemination of research findings on FGM/C in Osun State, held at the Osun Government Secretariat, Abere, encouraged residents of the state to report to the law enforcement agents anyone found engaging Female Genital Mutilation, FGM.
Olunuga also challenged stakeholders to speak against FGM, saying this would allow the state government to be able to take the necessary actions to end the practice in the state.
Presenting findings of the research on the level of knowledge and awareness of FGM among the people of the state, Olunuga maintained that the knowledge about the practice is still very poor, saying that there was still a huge gap between awareness and knowledge of FGM among the residents.
The Director of Public Health in the Osun State Ministry of Health, Dr. Gbenga Adepoju, said the meeting was called to eradicate FGM in the state