Nigeria with 19.9 million survivors of Female Genital Mutilation, has the third highest number of the cases globally.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), revealed this in a statement in Makurdi in commemoration of the International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM, the global organization cautioned that FGM was on the rise among young Nigerian girls aged 0-14.
According to UNICEF it had become a source of worry that the “rates have risen from 16.9 percent in 2013 to 19.2 percent in 2018.”
It promised to launch its Community-Led Initiative on International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM, christened ‘The Movement for Good’ to end the harmful practice.
The UNICEF statement reads, “FGM remains widespread in Nigeria. With an estimated 19.9 million survivors, Nigeria accounts for the third highest number of women and girls who have undergone FGM worldwide.
“While the national prevalence of FGM among women in Nigeria aged 15-49 dropped from 25 percent in 2013 to 20 percent in 2018, prevalence among girls aged 0-14 increased from 16.9 percent to 19.2 percent in the same period, according to Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, NDHS, figures.
“An estimated 86 per cent of females were cut before the age of 5, while 8 per cent were cut between ages 5 and 14.
“As the world today commemorates the International Day of Zero Tolerance of FGM, 68 million girls worldwide were estimated to be at risk of female genital mutilation between 2015 and 2030.
“And as COVID-19 continues to close schools and disrupt programmes that help protect girls from this harmful practice, an additional two million cases of FGM may occur over the next decade.”
Quoting Mr. Peter Hawkins, the UNICEF Nigeria Representative the statement said ‘Millions of girls are being robbed of their childhoods, health, education, and aspirations every day by harmful practices such as FGM.
