Over 19.9m Nigerian girls victims of female genital mutilation — UNICEF

United Nations Children's Education Fund, UNICEF, has raised the alarm over the alarming cases of Female Genital Mutilation, FGM, saying no fewer than 19.9 million Nigerian girls have undergone the mutilation.

UNICEF Country Representative, Christiane Mundaute, disclosed this, yesterday, in Ilorin, at a programme it organised in collaboration with the office of the Kwara State First Lady on 'Zero Tolerance for FGM'. 

According to Mundaute: "As we gather here today, more than 200 million girls and women worldwide have undergone female genital mutilation. Nigeria accounts for 10 percent of this figure, estimated at 19.9 million. This means that Nigeria holds the third-highest number of women and girls who have undergone female genital mutilation around the world.

Despite a slight decrease in prevalence of FGM in the country, recent data show the practice remains widespread. Here in Kwara, FGM prevalence is highest among women aged 15 and 49, reaching 58 percent.  For the 0-14 age bracket, it stands at 35 percent. This means approximately one in every three girls experienced FGM.

We must act with a collective commitment to change to address this issue comprehensively. UNICEF along with our sister agency UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund), has co-led the largest global programme on the elimination of FGM aligning with the vision of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

"In Nigeria, a UN Joint Programme, initiated in 2014 in high prevalence states, that is expanding to other areas with the practice. This demonstrated our commitment to eliminating FGM.

"This year's theme; "Her Voice, Her Future, Investing in Survivors-Led Movements to End Female Genital Mutilation," resonates with the journey we collectively embark upon to eradicate this harmful practice. In every survivor's voice lies a testament to resilience, courage, and the unwavering spirit to shape a different future." 

MoU on children's nutrition

Meanwhile, UNICEF and the Kwara State government, yesterday signed over $200,000 working agreement towards improving the nutrition of children under the age of five years in the state.

Under the arrangement, each partner will contribute $100,000.

The UNICEF Country Representative, after signing the MoU at the state's ministry of Planning and Budget,  said over 20,000 children in the state suffer acute malnutrition, "that is at the point of death." 

She however commended the promptness and responsibility with which the state government embraces the UNICEF's product as well as the release of its $100,000 counterpart fund that encouraged the development partner to grace the yesterday 's ceremony.

Earlier, the commissioner for Planning and Budget, Lafia Kora, who signed on behalf of the state, recalled that the state was intimated about the UNICEF product in November, 2023.

"This was when the agency approached the state with a proposal for the state to be part of their newly established child nutrition margin fund mechanism to reverse the trend of nutrition among children under age five through the use of ready-to-use therapy," he said.

Culled from Vanguard


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