Oyo state has made commendable strides in reducing the prevalence of female genital mutilation in the state having reduced the occurrence rate from 63 percent to 31.3 percent within the past six years.
Wife of Oyo state governor, Mrs Tamunominini Makinde disclosed this in an address during the event organized by her office to commemorate this year’s International Day Of Zero Tolerance For Female Genital Mutilation, FGM.
Mrs Makinde who said over two hundred communities in the state had declared the abandonment of FGM, stressed the need for stakeholders to step up their commitments to reducing the prevalence rate to zero.
While highlighting the various laws enacted by the state to address violence against women and children, Mrs Makinde encouraged mothers to speak out against female Genital Mutilation and seek for help from the government
Earlier, a social worker from the state ministry of women affairs and social inclusion, Mrs. Seun Olalekanmi emphasized that twenty seven million women have been predicted to be at risk of FGM globally, before year 2030, hence the need for stakeholders to intensify their advocacy efforts.
Mrs Olalekanmi identified no sexual satisfaction, post traumatic stress, memory loss, and extra marital affairs as some of the negative effect of Female Genital Mutilation on victims.
Also speaking, the FGM focal person in Oyo state, Mrs Balikis Olawoyin advocated increased community mobilization as well as youth and Media engagements to further reduce the prevalence rate of FGM in Oyo state.
