By Franca Ofili
Port Harcourt – The 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) has revealed that the proportion of women who are circumcised decreased from 25 per cent in 2013 to 20 per cent in 2018.
Mrs Maureen Zubie-Okolo, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, said this in Port-Harcourt at the Media Dialogue for Editors and Reporters on Data-Driven Reporting and Dissemination of NDHS 2019 Result.
She said that Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) was widely recognised as a violation of human rights, deeply rooted in beliefs and perceptions over decades and generations.
FGM involves partial or total removal of the external genitalia and/or injury to the female genital organs whether for cultural or any other non-therapeutic reasons.
According to Zubie-Okolo, the survey shows that FGM has reduced in the country but the prevalence is a little high in some states, like the South East (Ebonyi and Imo), South West (Ekiti) and the North West (Kaduna).
”Ebonyi has 53 per cent, Imo is 62 per cent, Ekiti is 56 per cent while Kaduna has 49 per cent.
”The states that have the lowest are Kogi one per cent, Katsina one per cent, Sokoto five per cent, Zamfara five per cent while Kebbi has two per cent,” she said.
She said that it has to do with their culture and advised the government to engage the communities to help with sensitisation to further reduce the practice.
Zubie-Okolo said that the survey revealed that 79 per cent of women who are not circumcised believe that the practice of FGM should not be continued.
(NAN)
